Budgie Book

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BUDGIE HANDBOOK

An E-book from: www.LetsTalkBirds.com

Information on the net about budgies and cockatiels

Your queries answered online

© 2002 Let’s Talk Birds

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Budgie Handbook – an E-book from www.LetsTalkBirds.com

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CONTENTS 1) CONSIDERING A PET BUDGIE PAGE 5 1A) LIFESPAN 1B) WHY BUDGIES ARE POPULAR 1C) IS A BUDGIE THE RIGHT PET FOR YOU? 1D) CHILDREN AND BUDGIES 1E) OTHER PETS AND BUDGIES 1F) BUDGIES AND COCKATIELS TOGETHER 1G) CHOOSING A MALE OR FEMALE BUDGIE 1H) CHOOSING ONE OR TWO BUDGIES 1I) TWO OR MORE BUDGIES AND COMBINATION OF SEXES 2) NEW BUDGIE PAGE 9 2A) WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN SELECTING YOUR NEW BUDGIE 2B) THE SEX OF A BUDGIE 2C) HOW TO RECOGNIZE A YOUNG BUDGIE 2D) BRINGING YOUR NEW BUDGIE HOME 2E) SETTLING YOUR NEW BUDGIE IN 2F) YOUNG BUDGIE NOT EATING 2G) HAND TAMING YOUR BUDGIE 2H) TEACHING YOUR BUDGIE TO TALK 2I) INTRODUCING AN ADDITIONAL BUDGIE 2J) FINDING A STRAY BUDGIE 3) CAGE AND ACCESSORIES PAGE 18 3A) CAGE SELECTION 3B) PERCHES 3C) TOYS 3D) CAGE FLOOR LINERS 3E) CAGE LOCATION 3F) CAGE COVER FOR NIGHT-TIME 3G) CLEANING THE CAGE AND ACCESSORIES 4) DIET PAGE 23 4A) BASE DIET 4B) A PELLETED DIET 4C) FRUIT AND VEGETABLES 4D) VITAMINS 4E) TREATS 4F) MILK AND OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS 4G) SALT 4H) WHAT NOT TO FEED 4I) GRIT 4J) TRAINING YOUR BUDGIE TO EAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES


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CONTENTS 5) WELL-BEING PAGE 27 5A) YOUR BUDGIE’S WEIGHT 5B) BACKGROUND NOISE 5C) BATHING 5D) EXERCISE 5E) HOW TO ENCOURAGE YOUR BUDGIE OUT OF THE CAGE FOR EXERCISE 5F) HOW TO ENTICE YOUR BUDGIE BACK INTO ITS CAGE 5G) INTRODUCING NEW OBJECTS 5H) CATCHING AND HOLDING YOUR BUDGIE 5I) DEATH OF A COMPANION BUDGIE 5J) POTENTIAL DANGERS 5K) AN AVIAN VET 5L) GOING AWAY ON VACATION 5M) GOING AWAY OVERNIGHT 5N) TRANSPORTING YOUR BUDGIE AROUND 5O) IF YOUR BUDGIE ESCAPES 6) BEHAVIOR PAGE 36 6A) BITING 6B) SHAKING OFF 6C) TUCKING UP A FOOT 6D) BEAK WIPING 6E) SNEEZING 6F) MOLTING 6G) SHREDDING CAGE FLOOR LINER 6H) CONSTANT EGG LAYING 6I) EATING ITS OWN DROPPINGS 6J) REGURGITATION 6K) FEATHER PICKING 7) MEDICAL PAGE 41 7A) HOW TO RECOGNIZE WHEN YOUR BUDGIE IS SICK 7B) MONITORING DROPPINGS 7C) LICE AND MITES 7D) SCALY FACE 7E) WORMS 7F) BACTERIAL INFECTIONS 7G) RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS 7H) CONSTIPATION 7I) EGG BINDING 7J) OBESITY AND FATTY TUMORS 7K) LIMPING 7L) BLEEDING 7M) FEATHERS COVERED IN COOKING OIL 7N) WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BUDGIE IS SICK 7O) IF YOU NEED TO VISIT A VET 7P) IN-WATER MEDICATION 7Q) ORAL MEDICATION 7R) SUDDEN DEATH OF A BUDGIE 7S) COPING WITH THE LOSS OF YOUR BUDGIE


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CONTENTS 8) BUDGIE MAINTENANCE PAGE 54 8A) WING CLIPPING 8B) NAIL CLIPPING 8C) BEAK TRIMMING 9) BREEDING PAGE 57 9A) CONSIDERING BREEDING 9B) BREEDING DIET 9C) YOUR ROLE DURING BREEDING 9D) SEXUAL MATURITY AND BREEDING AGE 9E) NEST BOXES 9F) COURTING SIGNS 9G) MATING 9H) UNSUCCESSFUL BREEDING 9I) CLUTCH SIZE 9J) SIGNS YOUR FEMALE BUDGIE IS ABOUT TO LAY EGGS 9K) INCUBATION 9L) FERTILE OR INFERTILE EGGS 9M) REASONS FOR EGGS NOT HATCHING 9N) CLEANING THE NEST BOX 9O) BROODING 9P) HAND FEEDING BUDGIE CHICKS 9Q) WEANING 9R) CHICK DEVELOPMENT 9S) BREEDING SUMMARY


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1) CONSIDERING A PET BUDGIE 1A) LIFESPAN The average lifespan of a budgie is 8 to 10 years. It is not unusual for a budgie to live to 14 years of age and the occasional budgie can live as long as 20 years. To ensure a budgie has a long and happy life you must provide: - a clean cage - daily exercise - a healthy diet including fresh fruit and vegetables offered daily - plenty of activity and companionship 1B) WHY BUDGIES ARE POPULAR A budgie is the most popular of pet birds and makes an ideal first bird for someone. They are suitable for both families and individuals. Millions are kept in aviaries and cages around the world today and their appeal is understandable. Budgies are extremely sociable and have a lot to offer; they are friendly, intelligent, loving, cheeky, playful, easy to tame, and due to their mimicking ability you can teach them to talk. The more input you give, the more you will get in return. The development of a budgie’s personality will depend on how young you obtain the budgie and your input from day one. Budgies are fairly hardy, and if looked after well, experience very little illness throughout their lives. If it’s done properly you will have a pet that will bond to you and become your companion, providing you with hours of entertainment and enjoyment each day. You will be delighted! 1C) IS A BUDGIE THE RIGHT PET FOR YOU? There are a number of things you need to consider before deciding if a budgie is the right choice of pet for you: - The average budgie lives to around 8 years of age. Some live to 14 years or more. Can

you commit to this amount of time? - A budgie’s personality is not guaranteed - some never talk, some stay shy and fearful.

Will you lose interest if you had your heart set on a talking budgie? - A young budgie’s sex cannot be guaranteed. What if you wanted a male and it turns out

to be a female? - Do you have children? Budgies are good with children but only if the children respect

their new pet and are gentle! You would need to monitor closely the children with the budgie, depending of course on the age and personalities of the children. (Refer to 1D for further information).

- Do you have other pets? Some people think a cat and bird can live together - I disagree.

The cat's natural hunting instinct will come through at some stage. (Refer to 1E for further information).

- A budgie needs time devoted to it every day. How much attention can you or other

members of the family give a budgie? Are you out at work each day? Are children at school each day? Are you out socializing most evenings and weekends?


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- Budgies are flock birds and therefore require company. If you cannot commit time to a budgie every day, the bird will become bored, lonely and possibly ill. One budgie may not suit your lifestyle, but you might want to consider getting two. (Refer to 1H for further information).

- Do you have 10 minutes spare each morning? This time is needed to clean a budgie’s

cage, change the food and water, and provide a daily offering of fruit and vegetables. Once a week or fortnight the cage will need a more thorough cleaning, so extra time is required for this. There’s also the weekly bathing you should give a budgie - once again more time on your part.

- Budgies are messy! Their food, seed and feathers scatter everywhere. When they’re out

of their cage they will chew at things and of course deposit their droppings whenever and wherever! This is how they are - can you accept this?

- When compared with other types of birds, budgies are fairly quiet. They are however still

quite noisy in their own right and can certainly have loud outbursts. - Does your home have a suitable area for a budgie to fly around? Budgies require a lot of

exercise. They need time out of their cage for a fly around at least 3 times a week, but preferably daily. This time out requires responsibility on your part, as so many pet birds escape through open windows. (Refer to 5D for further information).

- Budgies can be naughty, mischievous, and persistent in that they want to be part of

everything! Do you have the patience for this behavior? - Is everyone in your household agreeable to having a bird as part of the family? - Are there any smokers in the household? If so, can they smoke in a different room to

where the budgie will be kept? - How often do you go on vacation? Who will look after the budgie while you are away?

Will they want to? Will they take good care of the budgie? - Can you afford vet costs if the budgie becomes ill? Birds are extremely complex and

diagnosing their exact illness can be difficult. For this reason vet care for birds is expensive and pet insurance is recommended.

1D) CHILDREN AND BUDGIES A budgie is always a popular choice of pet for a child. Care and responsibility are taught and a close friendship usually develops. In my opinion a budgie should not be considered for a child until he or she is at least 8 years of age. Even at this age a parent or older child would need to supervise the daily chores and handling of the budgie. You will need to lay down some ground rules with a child: - always be gentle with the budgie - no grabbing, prodding, pulling or yelling at the budgie - some budgies do not like to be touched so if this is the case with your budgie a child must

not try to touch it all the time - if the budgie is sleeping allow it an uninterrupted sleep - approach the cage quietly and slowly - never rush up or creep up on the budgie - no banging at the cage - keep the budgie indoors at all times - do not let the budgie out of the cage until an adult is supervising or has given approval - if the budgie does not want to come out of its cage do not force it out Remember to keep a close eye on the budgie and child at all times, until you are certain they’re okay together.


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1E) OTHER PETS AND BUDGIES Cats: My opinion is that you cannot have a budgie if you own a cat. Some people think a cat and bird can live together, especially if they are brought up together - I disagree. The cat's natural hunting instinct will come through at some stage. Dogs: A budgie and dog can live in the same household. The amount of supervision required depends upon the size of your dog, its obedience levels and general nature, and if it’s a hunting breed or not. Other Birds: Small birds such as cockatiels can co-exist with budgies. A larger parrot can cause a few problems and will require strict supervision on your part when either bird is out of their cage. Fish: If you keep fish you will need to be careful when your budgie is out of its cage. The aquarium or bowl should be covered to avoid your budgie falling in or drinking water from it. 1F) BUDGIES AND COCKATIELS TOGETHER You can house a budgie and cockatiel together. In most cases they both live happily in the one cage - provided it's a reasonable sized cage. Approximate cage measurements should be: 18 inches (46 cm) across, 18 inches (46 cm) wide, 24 inches (61 cm) high. As cockatiels are extremely gentle and docile with a friendly temperament it's normally the budgie you need to keep an eye on when they're housed together. The budgie will be the one to cause a bit of mischief and try to dominate - especially a female budgie. You will need two seed dishes - to hold their different seed mixtures and also to avoid fighting over food. When your birds have time out of their cage it is fine to let a budgie and cockatiel out at the same time. They do not have to be let out separately. (Refer to 2I for information on introducing an additional bird). 1G) CHOOSING A MALE OR FEMALE BUDGIE The sex of a budgie should not matter to you unless you are considering breeding. Otherwise both males and females make equally good pets. Many people believe only male budgies can be taught to talk. This is incorrect. Both sexes can talk if the time is taken to train them. A male budgie is normally a faster learner than a female and tends to pick up more words and phrases, but both can become talkers. Due to their natural nesting behavior female budgies do tend to gnaw away at things like perches, cage floor linings, hard vegetables such as carrot, and sometimes wooden objects around the house. Singly kept female budgies are also slightly more complicated in that they may lay eggs - yes, even without a male budgie present! This occasionally gets out of hand with them continually laying and can lead to health problems with egg binding. As long as you choose a young, healthy budgie and you have time to tame the bird, either sex will result in a wonderful companion.


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1H) CHOOSING ONE OR TWO BUDGIES Unfortunately a lot of people are under the impression that because a budgie is one of the smaller and cheaper pet birds around, it doesn’t require the attention of a bigger more expensive bird and can just be left to its own devices in the cage each day. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Budgies need companionship. They are flock birds and in their natural environment in Australia can be seen in large groups or flocks. You never see budgies on their own unless they are ill or have been rejected from the flock. The points you must consider when deciding on one or two budgies: One Budgie - do you have enough time to devote to a budgie each day, otherwise it will become bored,

lonely and possibly ill - normally makes a better pet in that it fully bonds to you and looks on you as its

companion - remember though, the more input you give, the more you will get in return - taming is fairly easy - teaching it to talk is possible if you have the time and patience Two Budgies - if you don’t have a lot of time to give them - if you’re happy to observe rather than get involved with them - still provide you with a lot of enjoyment and entertainment - will not give you as much attention as they have each other for companionship, although

they can still bond to you depending on your level of input - really require bigger living quarters - taming is more difficult as they concentrate on each other rather than the trainer - teaching them to talk is virtually impossible as they will distract each other and not give

you the required attention - can be noisy, so if you live in a small place be prepared! - if male and female they may possibly mate and produce offspring

You can always start out with one budgie and see how it works for you. If you find you don’t have enough time for the budgie and it appears quiet, bored and lonely, then you can always introduce another. 1I) TWO OR MORE BUDGIES AND COMBINATION OF SEXES If you are considering the purchase of more than one budgie any combination of sexes is fine. The choice is entirely up to you. One female and one male: Obviously you will need to allow for the possibility of them mating. A pair will not normally breed unless a nest box is made available to them, but there is no guarantee of this! Two males: A good combination and usually quite compatible. Two females: Housing two females together is fine, although female budgies are inclined to be more aggressive than males, so there can be squabbles between them. All budgies have different personalities so how the combination you choose actually develops has a lot to do with their characters. I do not recommend purchasing three budgies, as two out of the three tend to bully the third budgie. Also, with more than two budgies per cage, you should be considering an aviary situation.


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2) NEW BUDGIE 2A) WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN SELECTING YOUR NEW BUDGIE Before choosing a budgie you need to consider the following: Age: It's easiest to tame and train a budgie that’s young, so look for a budgie between 6 and 12 weeks of age. A young bird also settles into a new environment quicker than an older budgie. (Refer to 2C for information on recognizing a young budgie). Color: Budgies come in such a wide variety of color combinations. You may have a preferred color in mind before you venture out to choose a budgie. Note that a budgie’s color has no bearing on its personality, intelligence, or training ability. Sex: Do you want a male or female budgie? You may have a preference already but often people alter their choice when they see the character of a particular budgie in a pet store and select this over the actual sex of the budgie. Health: Most importantly you must ensure that the budgie you select is fit and healthy, and has recently been treated for worms. (Refer to 7E for further information on worms). There are lots of things you will need to carefully look for: - Activity: energetic, observant, chirping, flying, playing, preening, interacting with other

budgies - Beak: clean, smooth, properly formed so that you only see the upper part of the beak

(mandible) - this lies over the lower mandible which can only be viewed when the budgie opens its beak, otherwise the beak should be closed with no signs of gasping or breathing through it

- Cere and nostrils: smooth, clean, no discharge - Droppings: small, firm, a brown-black curl with a white spot at the end - Eyes: bright and alert with no swelling or discharge - Feathers: fully formed, hugging the body, clean, shiny, no bald patches - Feet and legs: smooth, gripping okay, clean, free of sores and cuts, zygodactyl -

meaning it has two toes pointing forward and two pointing back - Posture: upright on its perch and almost proud looking - Vent: clean and free of droppings, feathers lying smoothly over the vent - Weight: inspect the breast and abdomen area - the breast should carry some weight and

show muscle tone, with the breastbone not sticking out or bony to touch, and check there are no lumps or swellings anywhere on the body

- Wings: fully feathered, free of lice, held against the body It is a good idea to obtain your budgie from a supplier as near to your home as possible. This helps avoid a long stressful journey for you and your budgie. If you have a few local pet stores or breeders to choose from, please give your business to one that obviously cares for its stock and houses its birds in a decent-sized and clean environment. Look for signs of daily cage or aviary cleaning. This way you have a much better chance of obtaining a healthy budgie.


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2B) THE SEX OF A BUDGIE To enable you to determine a female budgie from a male budgie you need to look at the color of the budgie’s "cere". The cere is the area directly above the beak housing the nostrils. With adult budgies if the cere is brown the budgie is a female and if the cere is blue the budgie is a male. When a female is in breeding condition her cere will be a deeper brown and may become crusty in appearance, whereas a male’s cere will be a bright blue. The aforementioned applies for most adult budgies except some color varieties such as albinos, fallows, lutinos and recessive pieds. With these types, a female has a beige cere while a male has a mauve cere, although the difference is slight. With young budgies the ceres of both sexes are the same color, a purplish shade, so it is difficult to tell their sex until they have been through their first molt at three to four months of age. Only then will the adult coloring show.

To the experienced eye the sex of a young budgie may be differentiated. The cere on a young male budgie tends to be more notable than a young female’s in that it is fuller and brighter. It takes on a pinkish shade whereas a female’s will have a bluish shade. 2C) HOW TO RECOGNIZE A YOUNG BUDGIE There are a few features that will help you identify a young budgie from an adult budgie. With a budgie under three months: - The eyes are entirely black and appear much bigger as there is no sign of the iris at this

stage. - The head has colored bars, or stripes, running from the cere over the forehead and down

the neck. Because of this barring, young budgies are often referred to as ‘barheads’. - The spots on the ‘collar’ around and under its beak appear small and undefined. At around three months of age a budgie goes through its first molt. During this time the iris becomes visible in each eye, the barring head pattern recedes back towards the eyes, and the spot feathers on the collar regrow big and bold. Once a budgie’s first molt is complete it is extremely difficult to detect how old it is - unless the budgie has been banded around the leg with a ring showing its birth year. Note, the above characteristics can be applied to most budgies except some color varieties such as albinos, fallows, lutinos and recessive pieds. 2D) BRINGING YOUR NEW BUDGIE HOME You’ve selected your budgie and it’s now time to bring your new companion home. Before leaving the pet store or breeder with your budgie make sure you obtain a small supply of the food it is used to eating - the bird may not accept a new seed mix or different brand of pellets upon arrival at your home. Leave new food offerings for at least a week or two. To lessen the trauma and ensure your budgie has an enjoyable welcome to its new home, use the following guidelines to assist you: - Have your budgie’s cage all set up for its arrival. This is always best prepared in advance

so the budgie can settle into its new home without the added stress of you having to get the cage ready.


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- Pet stores normally place a budgie in a small cardboard carry box. Keep this box upright and as steady as possible.

- Make your way home as quickly as you can - the less time, the less stress. If traveling by

car do not have the air-conditioning (hot or cold) blowing out on the bird carrier. - Once home, place the carry box at the open door of the cage, and carefully open the box

and see if your budgie will find its own way out into the cage. If after a few minutes the budgie is reluctant to come out, tap the end of the box and tilt it slightly so your budgie moves into the cage.

- If the box fits through the cage door, another option is to gently place the box on the floor

of the cage, shut the cage door and leave the budgie to come out in due course. Don’t retrieve the empty box until the next day. (What you are trying to achieve is avoiding handling the budgie to get it out of the box. At this stage a hand is a threat to your budgie and will only stress the bird more).

- When your budgie is in the cage, shut the cage door, and walk away. Now the golden rule, that you must follow, is not to disturb your new budgie for the first few days. Just let your bird take it all in and get used to the new surroundings and activities. This is stressful enough without having people going up to the budgie all the time, peering at the bird, reaching into the cage, trying to touch the bird, etc. This is hard to resist but the end results are worth it with your budgie settling in quickly and taming up easily. So, leave it be, talk to your budgie from a distance and watch for signs of the bird starting to relax and settle in. If your budgie starts to preen itself, chirp, eat and drink then these are all good signs. 2E) SETTLING YOUR NEW BUDGIE IN Be aware that this transitional period is extremely traumatic for your chosen budgie. In a short space of time the bird has probably gone from a breeder, to a pet store surrounded by lots of budgies, to a box in your car and finally to your home. The confused and scared budgie then finds itself alone in a strange cage and new environment. For the first few days go about your normal life around your budgie and the bird will watch all of this and realize no harm comes to it. Just give your budgie the time needed to adjust to its new home. It normally takes up to three weeks for budgies to settle in and get used to the new routine, although some only need a few days. I cannot stress enough the importance of the first few weeks with your new budgie. Precautions must be taken to avoid frightening the bird, and the way the budgie is treated during this time will impact greatly on its personality and future interaction with humans. For your budgie’s settling in period use the following guidelines: - Only one person should get to know the budgie initially, just until the bird is happy and

relaxed in its new home. - Do not let too many people bombard the budgie and avoid commotion around the cage. - Do everything quietly and slowly around your budgie and always talk to the bird in a

gentle manner. Talk to the budgie often so it gets used to your voice and hearing its name. Whenever you pass by the cage always say a few words to your budgie.

- Avoid loud noises and abrupt movements. Do not tower over your budgie - the cage

should be positioned so that you are at your bird’s eye level.


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- Check that your budgie eats. Some do not know where their food and water dishes are, especially if they’re built into the cage. Your bird won’t eat straight away but monitor it after a few hours. If your budgie sits on the cage floor the first few days sprinkle seed on the floor and put spray millet down. Remember to give your budgie a seed or pellet mix that it is used to - don’t introduce a new mix or brand at this early stage. (Refer to 2F for information on young budgies not eating).

- Avoid offering fruit and vegetables for the first few days. Your budgie has too many other

things to adapt to first of all. - Budgies love routine - anything new scares them and it can take a couple of days for

them to adjust. Keep this in mind with new toys, new food, your appearance (be wary of approaching your budgie with a cap or hat on your head, any clothing with polka dots on it, etc).

- To start with you can help develop a routine by initially trying to do things in the same way

and at the around the same time each day, eg changing the seed and water, cleaning the cage, covering the cage at night. Don’t offer anything new to your bird until it has settled in.

- Whenever you need to do something in your budgie’s vicinity that is likely to frighten it,

talk to the bird gently and warn it about what’s coming up, eg vacuuming or activating your garbage disposal. This may sound silly but it does help.

- Budgies are extremely social and do not like a quiet background. A good idea is to leave

a radio on for your bird, especially when you go out. Once your budgie has settled in it will start chirping along with the noise of the radio. Don’t have the radio up too loud, a gentle background noise is recommended.

- From the first night start covering the cage. Show the cover to your budgie from a

distance and gradually move in with it. Place the cover extremely slowly over the back of the cage as it will scare your budgie to start with. Use the same cover each night, don’t change them about as this will cause your bird a lot of unnecessary stress.

- For the first three to seven nights leave a light on for your budgie. Try not to use a light

that shines directly into the cage, one in the distance is fine. The night-light will help your budgie adjust more quickly to the strange night surroundings and noises, thereby preventing “night fright”. This is where something startles your budgie during the night and causes it to flap around the cage and hurt itself.

- Never grab hold of your budgie. Budgies learn in time that your hand won’t hurt them, but

in the early stages it poses a threat to them. In summary, just take everything very slowly to start with. Don't introduce too many new things at once and let your budgie adapt in its own time. Your aim is to have a budgie that feels safe and secure in its new home as soon as possible.


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2F) YOUNG BUDGIE NOT EATING If you notice your budgie not eating for around eight hours after you have brought it home you will need to take action. Birds have a high metabolism and must eat small amounts often. Unfortunately some pet suppliers will sell an unweaned bird to unsuspecting buyers. Budgie chicks are normally weaned (fully independent and eating on their own) at six or seven weeks of age. If your new budgie is not eating it will be due to one or more of the following reasons: - it has not been weaned - it is stressed and nervous in its new home environment - it doesn’t recognize or know where to find the food and water dishes in the new cage -

especially if the containers are built into the cage. An unweaned budgie will initially need hand feeding by you. Offer it food (seed or pellets, spray millet) from your hand but use the following information to help you get the bird eating independently. While offering your budgie food from your hand gradually move your hand close to the food containers so that the bird realizes and learns that these are food. Hold the food container for your budgie and encourage it to eat out of here. Especially offer spray millet from your hand, and attach one or two pieces in the cage next to the perching spots and near the food containers. Sprinkle some seed on the cage floor. A lot of young budgies like to spend time on the floor of the cage. Do the same with the water dish - show this to your bird and encourage it to taste the water. Initially a bit of honey, sugar or glucose in the water may prompt your budgie. Note that the action of drinking water is often one of the last things a new bird will do during its stressful settling in period. Some birds do have difficulty with deep water containers. If this seems to be the case with your new budgie try to buy a shallow container as you may find it adjusts to one of these more quickly. Only in a week or two start introducing your budgie to fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis. 2G) HAND TAMING YOUR BUDGIE Hand taming is best done with one budgie and when the bird is young at around six to twelve weeks of age. After six months of age it is more difficult and time consuming with the desired results often not achieved. All hand taming lessons require a lot of patience and perseverance on your part, but it is worth it in the end. You will get great satisfaction having your budgie hop onto your hand when it’s time to go back into the cage after being out for a fly. Otherwise, chasing an untamed budgie around the house will cause much stress to you and the budgie. Allow your budgie its quiet settling in period, but two to three days after you bring your bird home you should commence training the budgie to use your finger as a perch. By now you would have been doing everything quietly and slowly around your budgie and talking to it. You should notice the budgie relaxing and beginning to show some interest and trust in you. So, it’s time to start on the hand taming.


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For taming: - It is best that only one person works with your budgie, so that the bird can bond and get

used to that person. - Always try to get down to your budgie’s level, eye level is good, avoid towering over the

budgie. - Start off talking to your budgie from a distance and gradually move in closer and chat to it.

When the bird is comfortable with you by its cage, try and get the bird used to the presence of your hand by placing your hand on the outside of the cage near the budgie, but never above the budgie. If your budgie flutters away don’t draw back, just stay there talking until the bird settles, and then move your hand close to it again.

- Next start to give your budgie a treat of spray millet from your hand. Slowly move your

hand and spray millet into the cage and offer this with encouragement to your budgie. The bird should gradually move in to accept this from you. If the bird pecks at you do not make a sudden movement away from it. Your budgie will just be checking you out and will soon realize you mean no harm. Talk quietly and gently to the budgie, all the time moving closer until it becomes comfortable with this. Your bird may even hop onto your hand while eating the spray millet.

- You can then try placing an empty hand with one or two fingers extended into the cage.

Gently move your hand in closer each time until your budgie gets used to the particular level of closeness. Eventually start putting your finger alongside the bird’s perch and feet and leave it there until your bird is relaxed with this. Then move your finger so it touches the budgie’s feet. Once comfortable with this, the next step is to move your finger up to its stomach and the bird should soon hop onto your finger and use it as a perch. Then every time you nudge your finger against the stomach and lift a bit your budgie should hop up onto your finger.

- Next try moving your budgie about in the cage while on your finger. The budgie may

jump off and go back to its cage perch but just keep working on this one. - Once the budgie is used to your finger as a perch you can try moving the bird out of the

cage on your hand. This step can be difficult with a budgie often reluctant to venture out on your finger. This is where a separate perch is useful. Offer this and the budgie tends to come out of the cage on the perch rather than your finger initially.

Some extra tips: - Throughout your hand taming sessions never put your hand above the budgie’s head.

- Try and do a training session every two hours for five or ten minutes, but if you're not

home during the day a ten-minute session in the morning and evening should be fine. - Never rush the training sessions - just let it come with time and be aware that some parts

of the training will take longer than others. - My personal preference for hand taming is to use one finger (the index finger) and a

separate perch. If you prefer, you can try one finger on its own, a perch on its own or two fingers together (hold the two fingers one on top of the other - not side by side - so as to give the appropriate sized perch for your budgie). Fingers must be held out straight. Some people even use the back of the hand but the size of this is more daunting for the budgie initially.

- You should aim to train your budgie to use a finger and a perch. This makes things

easier when your budgie’s out flying and lands somewhere high up and out of reach of your hand. You can then offer a perch knowing the budgie will use this.


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- Once you start to make progress with your lessons always end each training session with you 'winning', ie with your budgie perched on your finger. Never let a session end with the budgie having 'won', ie fluttering off your hand and going to the corner of the cage.

- It is difficult to tame two or more budgies as they distract each other. You can work one

at a time, ie separate from each other, but depending on how attached to each other they are, you may find they spend the whole 'training' time looking or calling for one another!

- After your budgie is hand tame you can try stroking it on top of its head or on its chest and

other areas of the body, but be aware that most budgies do not like to be petted. You may be permitted to scratch its head only, beak only, or nowhere at all. If you don’t make much progress in this area, just accept this is how your budgie is.

- It is best to only introduce other members of your household to the budgie when the bird

is hand tame. Hand taming may take two days, two weeks or two months to achieve so just persevere every day approaching it all very calmly. 2H) TEACHING YOUR BUDGIE TO TALK Budgies can learn to talk. The most famous talking budgie was Sparkie Williams who could say over 500 words! He was alive in the 1950s and 60s. It's easiest to train your budgie to talk when it's really young. Starting when your budgie is six to twelve weeks of age should provide good results, but if your budgie is older than six months you may have difficulty. Also, a male budgie is normally a faster learner than a female and does tend to pick up more words and phrases. For training: - One budgie only; a companion budgie will distract the ‘student’ budgie and make training

virtually impossible. - Only one person to teach your budgie - preferably the person it knows best. - Budgies respond best to a child or woman’s voice because of the higher pitch. - To ensure you have your budgie’s undivided attention use a quiet room with absolutely no

distractions: radio, television, people, mirrors, toys, food, other pet birds or pets, outside birds.

- Twice daily training is required, best first thing in the morning and early evening. - Each lesson should last five to ten minutes. - Start with "Hello” and your budgie’s name, eg “Hello Tweety”. Repeat this over and over,

slowly and clearly using the same tone of voice each time to ensure consistency. - Say the phrase repeatedly whenever you interact with your budgie throughout the day -

uncovering the cage, cleaning the cage, walking by, coming into the room.

- Do not move on to new words or phrases until your budgie has mastered “Hello Tweety”. - Then you can try "How are you", "Pretty boy", "Who's a pretty boy", etc. Still include the

original phrase, “Hello Tweety”, as part of your training.


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Some extra tips: - Training can take place with your budgie either in or out of its cage. - If your budgie is tame this should make speech lessons easier simply because of the trust

your budgie already has in you. - Do not rush your budgie. - If your budgie does not appear to be giving you full attention at training time you can

cover the cage leaving only one area open where your budgie can see you for training. - When choosing words to teach your budgie keep in mind that budgies tend to master

words ending in vowels, such as e, o and u, quicker than those that don’t, and have difficulty with the letters m and n.

- Training tapes are available (you can buy these or make up your own). - Offer your budgie some of its favorite food on completion of your training sessions. - Other members of your household can assist with training by saying the word you and

your budgie are currently working on whenever they interact with the budgie - however only this word and in a tone as near to yours as possible. Do not let them confuse your budgie by trying to teach anything new.

- Budgies can learn to whistle tunes. Do not however introduce this into the equation! It is

best to start teaching your budgie to talk first rather than to whistle. Otherwise, your budgie will more than likely ignore its speech training and whistle constantly once it knows some tunes. If after time you realize your budgie is not going to be a talker you may want to start on its whistling lessons.

Note that it may take up to a year for your budgie to master a few words and some budgies never learn to talk. A lot of repetition, time and patience is required! 2I) INTRODUCING AN ADDITIONAL BUDGIE If you do decide to obtain a second budgie use the following guidelines: - Firstly, be sure to check when you obtain a new bird that it is free of external and internal

parasites such as mites and worms. Ask the pet store or previous owner when the bird was last medicated for these. If you have found the bird and have decided to keep it, isolate it from your budgie and either have the new one vet checked or give it some mite and worm treatments yourself. You simply cannot risk passing any parasites onto your healthy budgie. (Refer to 7C, 7D and 7E for further information on parasites and treatments).

- When you first introduce a new bird to an existing bird, if you can (ie, if you have access

to an extra cage) it is a good idea to house them separately with the cages side-by-side to start off with.

- They can then investigate each other through the comforts of their own home and

gradually adjust to the other bird. - Let them out on top of their cages and they may hop on each other's cage or eventually

climb into the other's cage. - Monitor them closely to see how they get on and once they seem comfortable with each

other you can begin housing them together for short periods and gradually build up from there.


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- There is no set timeframe for when you can house the two together. Some only take a day to accept each other, others quite a bit longer. It all depends on the personality, age and sex of the birds.

- If you don’t have two cages and you need to put the two together straight away make

sure you keep an eye on them all day. 2J) FINDING A STRAY BUDGIE It is quite unbelievable the number of times an escaped budgie finds its way to a stranger’s aviary or caged budgie hanging up outside. They are drawn to the sounds of the caged birds and land on their housing or near them. The bird will more than likely be showing signs of illness such as a fluffed up appearance, drooping head and soiled vent. If you do find yourself with a stray budgie house it separately. Do not put it in with your budgie as you do not know the status of its health or background. For housing use another cage if you have one, a cardboard box with some holes punched in it for air, or even a laundry basket. Cover the box or basket accordingly - you do not want the budgie escaping again! Also place a warm cover (towels or blanket) over the back of the enclosure - leave an open area for the budgie to see out. Place a heater nearby for extra warmth. Allow the stray budgie to sleep for as long as it wants and give the bird as much quiet as possible. The budgie will be exhausted from its time out in the wild and will need to recuperate. It will be extremely hungry and run down. Offer seed, spray millet and water - even put some glucose, sugar or honey in the water to give the budgie a boost. Monitor the bird closely and just let nature take its course. The budgie could take a few days to come round, depending on how much of an ordeal it has been through. But with rest, warmth and food you should see a big improvement. If you notice the budgie deteriorating or if you want to have it checked over you may wish to visit an avian vet.


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3) CAGE AND ACCESSORIES 3A) CAGE SELECTION Before rushing out to buy a budgie cage there are number of things you need to consider first. Budgies are extremely energetic and need space in the cage to stretch their wings, flap and climb around. For this reason, a budgie's cage should be rectangular rather than narrow or round. Obviously the bigger the cage the better, but within reason depending on your budget, the size of your home, and the actual suitability of the cage for a budgie. In my opinion, with regular daily exercise out of the cage, the minimum cage requirement for one or two budgies is: Across - 18 inches (46 cm) Wide - 12 inches (30 cm) High - 12 inches (30 cm) Note: The cage base is in addition to these measurements. Some extra points to consider: - With the cage size remember to take into account not just the budgie but also the cage

fillers, eg perches, seed and water dishes, toys, swing, ladder. These take up more room than you think and you must be careful not to overcrowd the cage.

- Check the width of the cage bars - do not buy a cage where the bars are wide enough to

allow a budgie to squeeze its head through and get caught (as a guideline use just under ½ an inch or just over 1 cm).

- To enable a budgie to climb around, ensure the cage has horizontal bars as well as

vertical - do not buy a cage with vertical barring only. - A plastic removable tray at the bottom of the cage makes cleaning easier. - Check the cage door (or doors) - can you put your hand through easily enough?

Remember you will be bringing your budgie in and out through the door as well as the seed and water dishes. Is the latch secure enough? Will the door spring back on the budgie, or catch the bird if it’s a sliding door?

- A wide plastic cage base offers good protection from seed and debris dropping onto your

floor. - Make sure there are no sharp wire ends anywhere - if so, you will need to file these down

and remove the debris. - If you live in a busy household with young children you are best to place the cage on a

permanent fixture such as a table or bookshelf, rather than a cage stand which can be knocked over easily.

- If you’re going to hook the cage up to your ceiling or wall you need to ensure that you do

a maintenance check regularly - inspect the handle on the cage, the hook and hole into the ceiling or wall, and any chain or rope.


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3B) PERCHES Budgies in the wild perch on many different tree branches - they do not sit on the same branch endlessly. This is why you should provide two or three perches for a budgie with a selection of varying sizes. My preference is to use one rope (multi-colored and readily available at pet stores), one doweling, and one natural branch. A cage will often be furnished with ready perches, but unfortunately most of the time these perches are made of plastic. These should be removed and replaced immediately. Budgies are continually on their feet so must have comfortable perches - plastic does not offer this. You’ll frequently see a budgie perching on the seed and water dishes or clinging to the side of the cage instead of using the plastic perches. The perches must be the right diameter so that the budgie’s claws do not wrap around and overlap - the perch is too small if this is the case - but must be wide enough for the budgie to grip onto. Use the width of your index finger as a guideline. Roughly, if you were to measure across the perch ½ an inch or 1cm is suitable. Note how the budgie sits on the perch and check that the claws do not overlap. Placement of the perches needs to be considered. One or two should be close to the seed and water dishes but not directly above them so that a budgie’s droppings fall into the containers. One should be up fairly high for roosting at night, and none of them should be so close to the cage bars or floor that a budgie’s head touches or the tail gets scruffy with constant contact. With regard to natural branches, you can safely use ash, maple, sycamore, willow and apple tree branches but these must not have been sprayed with any chemicals. Clean and scrub any branch that you obtain and let it dry before you place it in the cage. Never put the commercially made sandpaper covers over the perches - these are damaging to a budgie’s feet. 3C) TOYS Budgies spend hours each day entertaining themselves with toys. For this reason you must provide a budgie with one or two toys in its cage, and plenty for its free time out of the cage. This ensures their playful nature is stimulated and prevents them from becoming bored and withdrawn. Do not make the mistake of overcrowding the cage with too many toys. My suggestion is one mirror, one ladder, one swing and one toy. Budgies love mirrors. They look into them thinking they see a mate in the reflection and dance, nod and peck away at the mirror. A bell attached to the mirror provides additional amusement. Some schools of thought recommend not introducing a young budgie to a mirror until the bird has been trained and tamed up. I disagree, as a mirror offers great comfort to budgies and is especially necessary when you do bring a new recruit into your household - it helps ease them into their new environment. I have never had any problem hand taming a young budgie with a mirror in its cage. Ladders are fine for budgies, wooden or plastic. Some come with a bell attached or a mirror at the top rung. Be careful with ladders and young budgies as they can get trapped between the rungs fairly easily. For this reason ladders are best supplied to adult budgies only. Swings are very popular and many budgies choose to roost on these at night. Once again, the addition of a bell or a colored wooden frill is appreciated.


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There is quite a selection of commercially made toys available for budgies. You can also provide home made toys or household effects. Try some of the following: - buttons - dice - empty cotton reel - marbles - ping pong or table tennis ball - uncooked shell-shaped pasta pieces - small piece of notepad, tissue or paper towel scrunched up into a ball - shredded pieces of paper - thimble - twigs from apple trees to chew on - make sure they are washed and freshly cut - wooden peg All of the above should be provided for your budgie’s playtime outside the cage. Do not put any of these items on the cage floor as they will become soiled with droppings. Don’t forget, you can play with your budgie! Roll a marble along to your pet and the marble should come back to you, throw the budgie a rolled up piece of paper and it may be brought to you in its beak, pick up a toy that is constantly dropped and offer it back. Unfortunately budgies can get into difficulty with some toys - eating or swallowing pieces, or hanging themselves.

Always keep in mind the safety angle when choosing and offering toys: - fasteners - clips, clasps, hooks, wire - no cotton, nylon, string, wool, elastic or rubber bands - how strong they are - plastic can splinter easily - sharpness and cracks - non-toxic - natural and untreated - no lead (jewelry, keys, pencils, old buttons) It is a good idea to offer variety by changing the toys in your budgie’s cage occasionally. Supervision is recommended with the introduction of a new toy. Be careful to introduce new toys very slowly. (Refer to 5G for information on the best way to introduce new objects to your budgie). 3D) CAGE FLOOR LINERS When deciding on the cage liner that you will use at the bottom of your budgie’s cage, keep in mind that you need to monitor your bird’s droppings on a daily basis as a change in these can indicate illness. For this reason, a cage floor liner that clearly shows up the dropping deposits is recommended: - paper towels - brown butcher paper - computer printing paper - newspaper - recycled paper or material cut-to-size, eg rolls of Christmas wrapper, plain side up in the

cage bottom; old sheets or towels, with no loose threads for your budgie to catch on, so wrap the edges under accordingly

My preference is to use paper towels.


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Other cage floor liners tend to conceal the droppings and are not recommended: - hay - loose sand - wood shavings - pet store mixes such as chopped corn cobs Because the droppings are hidden in these linings the cage appears cleaner than it actually is. You can then become less conscientious with your cage cleaning habits and this will be detrimental to your budgie’s health. Also avoid any form of sandsheet as a base liner. These are harsh on a budgie’s feet and often encourage a bird down to the base to pick away at the sand, thereby walking all over its droppings. 3E) CAGE LOCATION Where to position your budgie’s cage is an important decision. The cage is best placed in an area where most of the family activity occurs, and this is normally in the living room. A corner of the room offers your budgie safety and security with the best height being at your eye level. Ensure there is nothing above the cage - leave an open space between the top of the cage and your ceiling. You can place the cage near a window - the natural light is good, but be aware of drafts or too much sunshine. Drafts cause chills and bring on illness. If the cage is left in direct sunlight for too long and your budgie cannot escape the heat it can die. But, if you can avoid both of these, your budgie will enjoy being near the window and seeing out. A lot depends on the climate where you live - in winter it may be too cold for the cage to be near a window. Areas to avoid: - the kitchen - a child’s bedroom - close to the television, radio, stereo, telephone - direct sunlight - drafts - darkness - near air-conditioning, heating systems, ceiling fans - the middle of a room - where doors open and close a lot - near a smoking fireplace or a person smoking Remember, you are setting up your pet budgie’s home, so find a nice suitable location - somewhere your bird will know it’s home and will always want to go back to. 3F) CAGE COVER FOR NIGHT-TIME It is preferable to cover your budgie’s cage at night. This will provide your budgie with the peaceful night’s sleep it needs to remain healthy, alert and active. The cover will keep your budgie warm and draft-free and shield your bird from evening activities such as television and lighting. It will also help prevent “night fright”, where something startles your budgie during the night and causes the bird to flap around the cage and hurt itself. Place the cover around the back of your budgie’s cage but leave an open area at the front where it can see out. Try to cover the cage at the same time each night. The cover will give your budgie a sense of security and establish a routine telling it bedtime.


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Your budgie must have an undisturbed night's rest. If you live in a warm climate a light material cover is best, such as a sheet - use this in summer and a small blanket for winter. Don’t use anything that has holes or loose threads as your budgie may get caught up in these. Remember to give the cover a wash occasionally. Do this in a mild detergent and avoid using fabric softeners. 3G) CLEANING THE CAGE AND ACCESSORIES I cannot emphasize enough the importance of cage cleanliness. You must maintain a strict cleaning program for your budgie’s cage and accessories. It is a chore, but one that accompanies bird ownership. Good hygiene helps keep your budgie in a healthy condition. Cage floor liner: should be changed daily if you think it needs it - judge this by the number of droppings and mess on the floor liner. If you have two or more budgies this will definitely need to be changed daily, otherwise one budgie allows you to replace the floor liner every two days - especially if your budgie spends a lot of time out of the cage. Water dish: when you change your budgie’s water each day scrub the dish as a film builds up fairly quickly and bugs can grow. Don’t simply empty the day-old water out and replace -give the container a thorough clean with hot water. Perches: must be cleaned regularly. You can scrape or brush off any droppings, but occasionally immerse the perches in very hot water and scrub them. Never return the perches to the cage if they are wet - always dry them out thoroughly beforehand. If you cannot dry them in time, only wash one perch at a time, so that the budgie always has a dry perch to use - if they are damp or wet this can cause a budgie foot problems. Toys: must be removed from the cage and thoroughly cleaned in hot water every few weeks. Do not clean with detergents, hot water will suffice. The cage mirror needs cleaning more regularly as it does become messy with the budgie’s constant attention. Dry the toys before returning them to the cage. Seed dish: should be emptied out fully and cleaned in hot water at least once a month. Make sure the dish is completely dry before you refill it with your budgie’s seed mix. This is very important, otherwise the seed will spoil. Cage: requires a thorough cleaning once a month. Use hot soapy water - add a tiny amount of dishwashing liquid to the water. Using an old toothbrush is a good way of getting the cage bars and corners cleaned. Be sure to rinse everything down so absolutely no trace of the dishwashing liquid remains. If you have a deck, garden or back yard you can clean the cage here, and use a hose to rinse it down. An option for indoors is to place the cage in a bathtub, shower or other washtub. You can scrub and rinse the cage in one of these. The cage will need a rub down once you’ve finished cleaning it so that you can return your budgie to a dry cage.


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4) DIET 4A) BASE DIET Your budgie’s diet is extremely important and is the key to having a healthy budgie - along with exercise. Unfortunately many caged budgies do suffer from obesity so special attention to diet and exercise is required. (Refer to 5D and 7J for information on exercise and obesity). Give your bird a good-quality budgie seed mix. These are readily available at pet stores and supermarkets. Ensure the mixes do not contain an abundance of hulled oats as these are fattening. Do not buy the seed in bulk - you are best to purchase small fresh packets. Alternatively, you can offer your budgie a pelleted diet. (Refer to 4B for further information). Your budgie’s diet must be supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis. (Refer to 4C for further information). Fresh drinking water is required daily. Also make available cuttlebone, and calcium, iodine and mineral blocks. 4B) A PELLETED DIET Many avian vets recommend a pelleted (or formulated) diet for pet birds rather than a seed diet. Seed diets must be supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables, vitamins, calcium and other minerals. Pellets however are supposed to include all of a bird’s nutritional needs and are often referred to as the complete and balanced diet. Generally they consist of a mixture of ground up grain, corn, vegetables, proteins, vitamins and minerals. There are many brands of pellets now available. Some are colored and come in different shapes and sizes, although the more basic pellets are one shape and size and a brown color. You should be able to purchase budgie pellets from your local pet store or avian vet. Be sure to follow the packet directions carefully, taking special note of the quantities and storage requirements. Also, ask about providing supplements to your budgie once it’s on a pelleted diet. Because pellets are a complete diet it is normally detrimental to offer extra supplements, so be clear about this. Pellets are fairly easy to introduce to a young budgie during the weaning phase, but trying to convert an older budgie from a seed diet to a pelleted diet can be extremely difficult and may require the assistance of an avian vet. 4C) FRUIT AND VEGETABLES An all-seed diet often results in an unhealthy or overweight budgie, so your budgie’s diet must be supplemented with fresh fruit and vegetables on a daily basis. You can try the following: Fruit: apple, grape, guava, kiwi fruit, mango, melon, nectarine, orange, peach, pear, pomegranate, plum, strawberry, tangerine, watermelon. Vegetables: bok choy, broccoli, carrot (chopped or grated), celery, chard, corn, lettuce (not very nutritious so don’t offer this regularly), peas, silverbeet, spinach, sweetcorn, watercress, zucchini. Plants: chickweed, clover, dandelion.


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Favorites with budgies tend to be apple, carrot, silverbeet, spinach, sweetcorn. Note that the fruit and vegetables should be provided: - thoroughly washed - in small pieces - at room temperature - unpeeled - free of cores, stones, pits or pips (note, the leaves, pits, pips and stones of apples,

apricots, cherries, peaches, pears and plums can be poisonous) - ripe (be careful not to give unripe food or food past its best) - raw (some budgies prefer certain vegetables cooked, eg peas and sweetcorn - use your

judgment here) - fresh (obviously this will be the most nutritious for your budgie but you can use frozen or

canned occasionally) Attach the fruit and vegetables to the cage with a clothes peg, plastic food clip or spike bought from your pet store. Remove any uneaten offerings at the end of each day. Be aware that your budgie’s droppings may be runnier than usual with an intake of fruit and vegetables. Some budgies will not take to fruit and vegetables straight away. Persevere as it can take up to a year before your budgie will eat them. Fruit and vegetables are an essential part of your budgie’s diet so offer them washed and fresh each day even if these go untouched - do not give up! (Refer to 4J for information on training your budgie to eat fruit and vegetables). 4D) VITAMINS Vitamin supplements in the drinking water once a week or fortnight are a good idea, although do not leave these in the water for long as bugs can grow very quickly. For this reason, I actually prefer to sprinkle powdered vitamins onto the seed or moist food, eg apple pieces or spinach. Either way, be sure to follow the product’s directions with regard to dosage amount and frequency. 4E) TREATS Small amounts of 'people' food are fine for budgies occasionally. They can have a nibble on crackers, cereal such as cornflakes, hard-boiled egg and wholemeal bread. Budgies enjoy spray millet and seed treats such as honey bells or sticks. However, these are fattening and should be offered as occasional treats only. Pet budgies can become overweight very easily so I recommend offering spray millet once a week if your budgie is fairly active, or if not, only once a fortnight. Seed treats are best given at two monthly intervals. 4F) MILK AND OTHER DAIRY PRODUCTS Birds are lactose intolerant. This means they are unable to process the lactose (milk sugar) found in dairy products as they lack the enzyme required to break it down. For this reason milk should not be given to your budgie as it will result in an upset digestive system and severe diarrhea. Caution must be applied with feeding any other dairy products as they all contain a certain amount of lactose.


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4G) SALT Pet birds do tend to crave salt. This is probably due to them lacking some form of mineral or vitamin in their diet. A pinch of salt occasionally is okay, but too much is dangerous and can be detrimental to your budgie’s health. 4H) WHAT NOT TO FEED Never give your budgie alcohol, avocado or chocolate - these can kill your bird. Also avoid asparagus, aubergine or eggplant, cabbage, caffeine (tea and coffee), junk food, milk and cream, raw potato, and rhubarb (including the leaves). Use your common sense when it comes to feeding your budgie. Many plants and food items are unsafe, so if you have any doubt, do not offer it to your budgie. 4I) GRIT There is a lot of debate on the subject of whether or not budgies require grit or gravel to help with the digestion of their food. My opinion is "no", they do not need grit or gravel as part of their diet. I have spoken to many bird experts about this and their opinion is the same. My budgies and cockatiels have never had access to grit or gravel, with no adverse effects. Budgies in the wild seek out bits of grit to aid in the digestion of their varied diets, however pet budgies have a fairly standard diet of seed or pellets, and fruit and vegetables. They hull or crack the seed with their beaks or simply grind away at the pellets so can easily digest these diets. Budgies provided with grit can gorge themselves on this, especially out of boredom or when they are ill, with damaging results to the crop and digestive system. 4J) TRAINING YOUR BUDGIE TO EAT FRUIT AND VEGETABLES Many budgies do not take to fruit and vegetables straight away, but you must persevere in offering these as it can take up to a year before a budgie will eat them. Fruit and vegetables are an essential part of a budgie’s diet so offer them washed and fresh every day even if your budgie still refuses them. Yes, this is a tedious procedure and a lot of perseverance and patience is required on your part. Some tips to help convert your budgie: - Establish a routine and try and offer the fruit and vegetables at the same time each day. - Do not offer the one fruit or vegetable time and again. Give your budgie lots of variety -

this will also help you discover the ones your bird likes to eat. - Put the fruit or vegetables in your budgie’s favorite area in the cage. - Offer the fruit and vegetables in different holders. Some budgies refuse to eat them if

presented in one container but will try them if given another way! Try offering from your hand, between the cage bars, a plastic clasp or clip, clothes pegs, bowls, spikes, plates, small dishes.

- Put some in their seed. Try adding grated carrot or apple, cooked peas, or chopped

spinach to their seed. Make sure you remove the leftovers each evening.


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- Offer them in different ways. Some budgies will eat carrot or apple only if it’s grated. Others will only touch it if it’s in pieces. Also, different sized pieces can get a good result. Big pieces prove daunting to some budgies during the learning phase.

- Don’t give up on a particular fruit or vegetable. A good example is apple. There are

many varieties available, and a budgie may dislike a certain type of apple and refuse to eat it, but will enjoy and eat another apple variety! Also, your budgie may only try the apple once the piece has been left out for a few hours.

- Try to get to your budgie and offer a piece of fruit or vegetable first thing in the morning

before the bird has had a chance to touch its seed and water. - Remove your budgie’s seed and water dishes the night prior and it may try the fruit and

vegetables offered the next morning out of hunger or thirst. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, but don’t starve your budgie in the process. Replace its normal food and water dishes soon after you’ve tried it with the fruit and vegetables. Birds have a high metabolism and must eat frequently.

- Eat some of the fruit or vegetable in front of your budgie. This will show that it is actually

food and your bird may copy you. - Praise your budgie when it does try a piece of fruit or vegetable. - Be careful with lettuce. A budgie usually readily accepts this, but lettuce is not very

nutritious and can cause runny droppings. It is best to refrain from offering this while you are trying to convert your budgie to other fruit and vegetables.

Budgies are challenging when it comes to fruit and vegetables. I’ve had budgies refuse apple in their cage for months yet they will gladly eat it from my cockatiels’ cage! Remember - just try offering something every day even if it goes untouched every day. People write and tell me it's taken them a year to train their pet birds to eat fruit and vegetables!


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5) WELL-BEING 5A) YOUR BUDGIE’S WEIGHT Obesity is quite a problem among pet budgies. The main contributing factors are a seed-only diet and lack of exercise. Overweight budgies are prone to liver problems and fatty tumors, and ultimately an early death. As a bird owner you should invest in a scale measuring in grams (not ounces). It is recommended you monitor your budgie’s weight because a gain or loss will alert you to a possible health problem long before your budgie shows any physical signs of illness. An adult budgie should weigh around 30 grams. Some larger budgies, usually bred for exhibition, can weigh up to 60 grams. You should weigh your budgie monthly, and for accuracy at around the same time of day - first thing in the morning before food intake if possible. Record the details and monitor the results closely. If your budgie is tame simply place the bird on the scale (you can even set up a perch for this). You may need to entice your budgie there with a treat. An untamed budgie will need to be wrapped in a small towel and placed on the scale. Don’t forget to record the weight of the towel on its own and deduct this figure from the weight reading of your budgie in the towel. Alternatively use the ‘tare’ feature on your scale if it has one. 5B) BACKGROUND NOISE In their natural environment in Australia budgies group together and form huge flocks. The noise level of hundreds of budgies in a flock is extreme. A quiet surrounding usually indicates the presence of a predator with heightened awareness and fear for the budgies. Pet budgies are the same. They do not like a quiet background. Leave a budgie sitting in silence and the bird will appear miserable, making very little noise itself. For this reason, always leave a radio on for your budgie, especially when you are out or spending a lot of time in different parts of the house to where your bird is kept. Try and get into the habit of automatically switching on the radio whenever you go out, or if possible have the radio on for your budgie all day, switching it off when it’s night and time for the budgie to go to sleep. You will notice your budgie perk up and chirp away with the radio. Do not have it up too loud, just as a gentle background noise, and preferably a news station rather than a music station. 5C) BATHING Budgies bathe themselves sitting out in the rain or playing on wet leaves in their natural environment in Australia. Bathing is essential for a budgie's preening (the cleaning and smoothing of its feathers) and helps keep the feathers in good condition. There are a few options you can choose from for bathing your budgie: 1) Offer a shallow dish of water in the bottom of the cage, or out of the cage if your budgie is

tame. 2) Buy a commercially made birdbath to attach to the cage. 3) Spray with a spray/atomizer bottle.


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My preferred method by far is the spray option. For spraying ensure the spray bottle you use is clean and free of any chemicals or detergents - you are best to buy a brand new spray bottle to use for the sole purpose of bathing your budgie, and label this clearly. Fill the spray bottle with hot water - by the time the spray reaches your bird it will be luke-warm. Do not use cold water or add anything to the water - no detergent or soap. Remove the seed dish from the cage before you spray (and anything else you don’t want to get wet). The surrounding area will be sprayed on so you may wish to protect your furniture, walls, etc by placing a towel or similar over part of the cage to absorb the water. Spray your budgie at least twice a week, first thing in the morning so the feathers have time to dry. Never do this late in the day or on a cold day. Also, you must only spray your budgie, do not drench the bird. Once complete, wipe down any overly wet areas, eg a wooden or rope perch. You don’t want your budgie to be wet underfoot for a prolonged period. Note: Even if your budgie initially does not appear to enjoy being sprayed, just persevere as your bird will soon come to enjoy it and will actually start to look on it as a treat. 5D) EXERCISE Exercise is extremely important for the well-being of your budgie, both physically and mentally. Time out of the cage helps prevent your budgie becoming bored, ill and obese. It also builds up and maintains the wing muscles. You should not keep a budgie if the bird cannot come out of the cage a few times a week, and this is regardless of the budgie’s cage size. Unfortunately many people think it’s okay to leave a budgie locked up in its cage all the time if the bird is in a big, parrot-size cage - this is not the case! No matter how large the cage is, a budgie will not be able to fly properly in there. Your budgie should be let out of the cage for a fly around every day, with a minimum time out of one hour. Even if your budgie doesn’t fly all of this time, just allowing your bird to walk or run around, to sit on your shoulder or on top of the cage will be a wonderful treat - no cage bars in front of it for a while. Ideally, your budgie should be able to come and go as it pleases from the cage although this depends on the suitability of your home environment, such things as children, other pets, open windows, etc. Just try to let your budgie out of the cage as often as possible. The more the better! Your budgie’s time out does require responsibility on your part. Too many birds are lost through an open window so check (and double-check) that all windows and doors are closed. Also make sure no other pets are around, and other hazards are out of the way. Watch out for dangerous things like: - open toilets - tall empty vases that your budgie could fall into and not climb back out of - cooking or sizzling pots and pans - plants to chew on - dish washing water - the foam on top will appear as a solid landing surface - stove tops turned on


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- glass, mirrors or windows - budgies fly and smash into these thinking they’re open space. Eventually budgies learn, but to start with you will need to cover these and close the drapes or blinds. Use tape strips, stickers or hang some pieces of string or rope to deter your budgie from any glass. (Refer to 5J for a list of further hazards).

When out of its cage you will initially need to monitor your budgie very closely. Young children will also need to be supervised. Once you and the budgie are comfortable with the situation and have established a routine you can sit back, relax and watch your budgie enjoy its free time. 5E) HOW TO ENCOURAGE YOUR BUDGIE OUT OF THE CAGE FOR EXERCISE You’ve been told your budgie must have exercise, yet yours doesn’t want to come out of the cage! Firstly, you should not attempt to let your budgie out of the cage until you can sense the bird is happy, relaxed, and feeling safe and secure in its new home environment. It could take your budgie a couple of weeks before becoming familiar with everything. A budgie’s first time out for a fly around is very daunting, especially if you have a young budgie that’s never flown properly before. Some tips for encouraging your budgie out from behind the bars: - Open the cage door and leave it open all day - only when you are at home. Draw your

budgie’s attention to this open space by gently waving your hand at the bird through the open door or offering some favorite food through the space. Then wait to see if your bird will eventually venture out.

- If this doesn't work after one or two weeks you will need to encourage your budgie out.

(One of my budgies comes and goes when his cage door is open, two other budgies need to be brought out, once out they love it. It took the two a while but they now find their own way back into their cage).

- Offer spray millet to try and entice your budgie out. - If your bird still won't make its own way out, very calmly and gently approach your budgie,

talking to it quietly, and slowly put your hand in and grasp the bird gently - that is if your budgie isn't hand tame and won't hop out on your hand. (Refer to 5H for information on catching your budgie).

- Place your budgie on top of the cage and let the bird sit there and give it time to take

everything in and adjust to having no bars in front of it. - Keep doing this the first few times. Just let your budgie sit on top of the cage if this is all it

wants to do - most will take the opportunity to go for a fly though. - Once your bird is used to being out but if it doesn't appear to want to fly you will need to

encourage your budgie by giving it a soft nudge with your hand. - When your budgie does fly around just monitor it. Your bird may fly back to the top of the

cage. Persevere with it all because in the end your budgie will learn to find its own way back into the cage, will come and go by itself, and will simply love its time out.


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5F) HOW TO ENTICE YOUR BUDGIE BACK INTO ITS CAGE To start with your budgie won't find its way back into the cage so you will need to guide the bird in. Depending on how tame your budgie is it may hop onto your finger or a perch so you can easily place your bird back in the cage. Otherwise, you can try placing the cage near the bird and enticing it in with spray millet or sprinkled seed on the floor up to the cage door. If all else fails you will need to throw a hand towel or face cloth over your budgie to catch the bird and place it back in. This may be stressful for your budgie but it will soon get used to what you are doing. Do everything very gently, quietly and quickly. Never grab hold of your budgie with your open hand or the bird will lose trust in you because you’re linked to the hand that has caught it. Instead use a small cloth so that your budgie is scared of the cloth and not your hand. (Refer to 5H for further information). 5G) INTRODUCING NEW OBJECTS Budgies are always wary of anything unfamiliar to them, so much so that you will unnerve it for quite a while if you just put something new in the cage or if you approach your bird wearing a piece of clothing it is totally unaccustomed to. Always keep this in mind when you offer a new toy, new food, a new cage cover or when you’re dressing. Budgies can go into panic mode if you wear a cap, hat or polka dot shirt - especially anything polka dot! To help the situation, start by showing your budgie any new article from a distance. Then gradually move in with it. Leave the item beside the cage for a day or two before placing it in with your bird. Monitor your budgie’s predicament. You may find that your bird requires a longer introduction period than a few days. Another way of easing your budgie into something new is to tap at the item with your fingers. Your bird can then see that this article doesn’t hurt or jump out at you, and it may be tempted to test and accept the article more quickly. 5H) CATCHING AND HOLDING YOUR BUDGIE Circumstances will arise when you occasionally need to catch and hold your budgie - checking it for injuries or mites, maintenance such as wing clipping, administering medication. This always causes some stress for both you and your budgie so extreme care must be taken when you carry out the procedure. I always find it easiest to capture my birds when they are out of the cage and on the floor. This allows me to quietly and quickly drop a small towel over the bird so that I can tuck the towel under the bird’s body and then pick it up in the towel. This reduces stress levels and has the added advantage of your budgie not associating your hand with having caught it, but the towel, and thereby fearing a towel rather than a human hand in future. The correct way to hold a bird is to gently but firmly rest the bird’s head between your thumb and index finger, with your remaining fingers firmly covering the budgie’s wings and body. Note that you should have the back of your bird resting against the palm of your hand, so that the beak and feet are facing away from your hand.


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If you have to catch your budgie while it is in the cage you will need to act quickly and confidently. Put one hand into the cage and reach behind the bird to grasp it. It is easiest to catch the bird when it’s climbing the cage bars or in a corner or on the cage floor. 5I) DEATH OF A COMPANION BUDGIE The death of one of a pair of budgies is good reason for concern on your part. Your remaining budgie will mourn the loss of its companion and you will need to give your bird the extra attention it needs to help it through this time. You will also need to monitor your budgie closely to check that it stays healthy - monitor its eating, drinking, sleeping and the droppings. All budgies react differently to this situation so there are no hard and fast rules. The amount of time the two birds were together and whether or not they had bred and successfully reared chicks does impact on the situation. Some budgies do fret terribly with the loss of their companion yet others come round fairly quickly. Do not consider obtaining another budgie, especially not in the early stages. Introducing a new budgie at this time normally does more harm than good. Watch your bird closely and see how it gets along in the next few weeks. 5J) POTENTIAL DANGERS There are so many dangers that you need to know about when you introduce a pet bird into your house. Where possible you should ‘bird-proof’ your home or at least be aware of the things likely to cause problems to your budgie. The following is a list of hazards that pose a threat to your budgie. Please refer to this often so you become familiar with the dangers, although note it is not possible to include all harmful items in this list. A basic rule you should follow, is that anything sprayed from an aerosol can or anything intended to kill another creature, or if harmful to humans, should not be used anywhere near your budgie or in areas your budgie ventures to. Food: - alcoholic beverages - asparagus - aubergine or eggplant - avocado - cabbage - caffeine (tea and coffee) - junk food - milk and cream - raw potato (cooked potato is fine) - rhubarb (including the leaves) - the leaves, pits and stones of apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, plums Fumes and poisons: - aerosol sprays - air fresheners or deodorizers (including plug-in varieties) - alcohol containing products - biocides such as acaricides, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, rodenticides - carbon monoxide (from fireplaces or wood stoves - check for ventilation and leaks) - deodorant sprays - dyes - fabric softeners (don’t use when laundering your budgie’s cage cover) - fertilizers - formaldehyde (on carpet backing, so be aware of this if you are having new carpet laid) - freshly applied paint, paint stripper, paint thinner or varnish, and old flaking paintwork - glues and glue sticks


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Fumes and poisons continued: - hair care products - dyes, sprays, lacquers, perming solutions - household appliances that may have a non-stick coating - irons, ironing board covers,

heat lamps, coffee makers, waffle irons, hair dryers, curling tongs - household cleaning products - polishes, oils, detergents, solvents, disinfectants, sprays - incense and scented candles - lead - keys, costume jewelry, bowls, paint, buttons, curtain weights, pencils, water, lamps,

plumbing, batteries, stained glass, zips - leather treatments - lighter fluid and matches - medicines - nail polish and nail polish remover - oil burners - oven cleaner - pencils and pens - lead pencils, pens with ballpoint tips, felt-tip, permanent markers,

magic markers - perfume - poisonous house plants (to be on the safe side keep your budgie away from any house

plants or cut flowers) - rust - self-cleaning ovens - shoe polish - smoke from cigarettes, cigars, pipes (and ashtrays full of butts and ash) - Teflon and other non-stick coated cooking utensils (especially frying pans, skillets, baking

pans) - verdigris (this is the green film that builds up on brass or copper) - wood preservatives - zinc (found in some house keys) Burning or scalding: - bathtub - burning candle - cups and mugs of hot drinks - soup, tea, coffee - dinner plates with hot food - hot iron - hot light bulbs - fireplace, open heater or radiator - uncovered cooking or sizzling pots and pans - food, liquid, oil Drowning: - bathtub - drinking vessels - cup, mug, glass - fish tank - kitchen sink - laundry tub - open containers with water - bowl, bucket, pan, pot, vase - toilet bowl Strangulation: - clothing items (especially hand-knitted) - cords or similar on drapes or window blinds - elastic and rubber bands - hair ties and bands - jewelry - string, cord, thread, cotton, yarn, wool


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Suffocation: - behind books on bookshelves - gaps in furniture - in drawers - plastic bags or wrap - tall glass, ornament, vase - trash can or waste basket - under clothes, cushions, pillows Other hazards: - direct sunlight for lengthy periods - dishwasher, clothes dryer, washing machine, fridge, freezer - if you cannot find your

budgie always check in these household appliances - drafts - electrical cords and wires - extreme changes in temperature - fans (especially ceiling fans) - glass - flying straight into walls, windows, mirrors, doors - hard floors - when landing if wings clipped back - humans - stepping on, sitting on and crushing, leaving doors and windows open - open drawers, boxes, cupboards and closets - open chimney or fireplace - many birds fly up an open chimney - overheated rooms - piercing objects, eg broken glass, cacti, knives, scissors - predatory animals, eg cats, dogs, ferrets etc - reclining chairs and rocking chairs - slamming doors 5K) AN AVIAN VET As soon as you become a budgie owner, you should locate a competent bird vet in your area. Try to find an avian vet, one who is experienced with birds. Record the vet’s telephone number and address in a logical place, somewhere the whole family will know to look. The details must be kept at the ready as a bird problem can arise unexpectedly. The last thing you want to be doing at such a stressful time is trying to track down a suitable vet. Also, check that the vet is available for emergencies. 5L) GOING AWAY ON VACATION Pet budgies are fine left alone for one night and two days if you ever have to go away overnight. Any longer and you will need to make arrangements for someone to take care of them or look in on them daily. If you are going away and cannot take your budgie the following options are available to you: - Leave your bird in your own home with someone calling in each day to check on the

situation and to change the seed or pellets, water, fruit and vegetables, and cage lining. You could have a friend, relative or neighbor do this for you, or alternatively there are people who do this as a job, offering the service for a small daily fee. It is best if the person visits your budgie twice a day, once first thing in the morning and once in the evening. This would allow your budgie’s cage to be covered in the evening and uncovered in the morning with the drapes or window blinds opened and closed accordingly. Ensure a radio is left on as background noise for your budgie.

- Take your budgie to a friend or relative’s home. Be sure the person is comfortable

looking after your budgie. Never force this on someone as it is a big responsibility. Whether or not your budgie is allowed out for exercise is up to you and the minder. It’s usually best to leave your bird safe in the cage, depending on the minder and how long


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you’re away for. Most budgies are fine with no time out of the cage for one or two weeks - your bird would just appreciate you more on your return!

- Take the budgie to a ‘bird-sitter’. People do offer this service for a small fee. It’s always a

good idea to see the place and meet the minder before you commit to this temporary accommodation. Check for cleanliness and safety.

- Some vets, pet stores, animal shelters, bird rescues or boarding kennels do offer a

boarding service, although this is the one option I worry about with the transmission of diseases and also lots of people coming and going, poking and peering at your budgie. Use this as a last resort.

- Best of all, someone you know or a contact could stay in your home while you’re away,

providing care and company for your budgie. The option you choose depends on the personality and lifestyle of your budgie. Obviously if your bird is used to a lot of company and freedom then you should take your budgie to a minder while you are away, rather than just having someone look in once or twice a day. If you’re leaving the bird in its familiar surroundings at home you need to decide if the budgie can come and go from the cage on its own accord. If your budgie is used to this, and you and the minder are comfortable with it, just ensure the room the budgie is allowed out in is completely danger-free and bird-proof. Whichever option you decide on be sure to leave plenty of your budgie’s seed or pellet mix with the minder, a list of instructions (including food the bird is not allowed), and a contact telephone number for you and a local avian vet. 5M) GOING AWAY OVERNIGHT Your budgie would be fine left ‘home alone’ for one night and two days - no longer though. Ensure the cage is in a good safe draft-free location for the two days. Depending on the climate where you live this will either be in a warm spot if it’s winter or a shaded cool area if it’s the middle of summer. If your daylight hours are short you may be best to leave a light on while you’re away. Leave a radio on quietly in the background so your budgie doesn’t sit in silence. Supply fresh water on the morning you leave, and definitely blow away the seed husks and top up the seed dish. Put fresh spray millet in the cage but no fruit and vegetables as these spoil very quickly. If you have more than one budgie you should put an additional seed dish in the cage. Budgies have been known to starve not realizing there is actual seed under the build up of empty husks. If your budgie is used to having the cage covered at night it will be fine to go uncovered for the one night you are away. If possible leave a night-light set up for your bird otherwise without a cover and if the drapes or window blinds aren’t closed your budgie will be susceptible to “night fright” - where something startles your budgie during the night and causes the bird to flap around the cage and hurt itself. Is your budgie used to having a free run in your home? If so, you’ll need to decide whether or not your bird can come and go from the cage while you are away overnight. This is entirely up to you and how comfortable you are with this, also your budgie’s capabilities, and how safe the room is. For one night you may be best just to leave your budgie shut in the cage.


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5N) TRANSPORTING YOUR BUDGIE AROUND When you need to take your budgie out somewhere, usually to the vet or to a minder’s place, use the following to transport your bird: Your budgie’s regular cage: this is always the best carrier provided the cage is not too large for your means of transport. Remove or secure anything in the cage that’s likely to bang around while in transit - toys, swings, mirrors. Also empty the water dish to a low level to avoid spillage - leave a little bit of water in there in case your budgie wants some. A cat carry cage: it’s always useful to have one of these set up with perches. Ensure that the bars are not too wide. A small basket or plastic ice-cream container: line the base of these with tissue or paper towels or a tea towel so that your budgie has something to nestle into and grab onto instead of scuttling around during transportation. On top of the basket or container put some form of cloth securely fastened with clothes pegs, string or elastic bands. Make sure there are a few holes somewhere so that your budgie can breathe. A shoebox or other cardboard box: line this with something your budgie can grip onto, eg tissue, paper towels, tea towel. Bore some holes into the box to provide some air and make sure the lid is secure. If you are traveling by car ensure the carrier is fixed down somewhere. If you’re lucky to have a second person with you he or she can hold your budgie and carrier. Otherwise, use the car floor in front or behind a seat, or if the cage is of a reasonable size place it on a seat with a seatbelt around it for stability. 5O) IF YOUR BUDGIE ESCAPES Many budgies escape through an open door or open window, and sadly most are never to be seen again. If you find yourself in this situation stay as calm as possible and try the following: - Take note of the wind direction when your budgie escapes. This may help pinpoint the

area your bird has flown to. Or, even better, if your budgie is within sight, monitor or follow the bird as best you can.

- Put your budgie’s cage out in the open somewhere, intact with toys, food, water and

treats - try your deck, garden or back yard. - Quite often budgies are drawn to the sound of other caged birds and make their way

toward them so if you have access to another budgie or even a cockatiel put this bird and its cage outside to try and attract your budgie’s attention.

- Place some lost ads in local newspapers. Prepare some flyers and get these out into

your neighbors’ post boxes, local pet stores, schools, vets, breeders, bird clubs, animal shelters and bird rescue centers. Keep in contact with these places for a few weeks as word-of-mouth is the best way of locating your lost budgie. Also check the “Pets found” section of your local newspaper.


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6) BEHAVIOR 6A) BITING Budgies often bite when they are scared. This is fairly common behavior with a young budgie frightened in its new home environment. Whenever you offer your hand to a biting budgie do this slowly and gently. The budgie will soon get used to your hand, trusting you when it realizes you’re not going to hurt it. Do not pull your hand away abruptly when a budgie bites or the bird will keep doing this, as the biting gives the result it is after. Also, never yell at a budgie or strike out when it bites. Patience and perseverance is required. Start offering your budgie spray millet from your hand. The budgie may attempt to bite you through the spray millet but will soon learn to enjoy the treat you are offering and should stop biting at you. Another tip is when the budgie is on your hand and bites you, wiggle your hand. The bird will become unbalanced and concentrate on this fact rather than biting at you. Keep this up and your budgie will learn to associate a hand wiggle with a bite which it won’t like and should stop the biting. (Don’t wiggle too hard so that the budgie falls off). Another option is to blow front on to your budgie’s face whenever it bites. Some budgies really dislike this and once again will associate this with their biting and should stop doing it. 6B) SHAKING OFF Throughout the day a budgie fluffs up and then quickly shakes itself from head to tail. This can often be seen after preening so that they shake off dust and flakes. Alternatively you’ll notice them doing this when they have a mood swing or change in activity, so that they shake off a previous mood or activity, eg when scared then relaxed, when curious then not so curious, sleeping then waking up and going to the food dish. 6C) TUCKING UP A FOOT There is no reason for concern when you see your budgie tucking a foot up into its body. Budgies are on their feet 24 hours a day (except for females when sitting during breeding), so they take the weight off a foot by occasionally tucking it up and giving it a rest. This is a natural thing for birds to do and you will notice them taking up the ‘lost foot’ position when they are feeling relaxed or sleeping. If you notice the same foot being pulled up continually or no weight being put on that foot then your budgie may have a problem. (Refer to 7K for further information). Another reason for concern is when your budgie continually perches on both feet, especially during its sleeping hours. 6D) BEAK WIPING You will often catch your budgie wiping its beak against the cage bars, perches, furniture corners, or your clothes, in an attempt to clean its beak. This is especially common with budgies used to a few ‘human’ foods as part of their diet. Rice, sweetcorn and various fruit pieces do cake on their beaks so your budgie will wipe the mess away on anything it sees fit.


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6E) SNEEZING A budgie will clear its nostrils with a quick sneeze. The nostrils should always appear dry. If you notice your budgie sneezing constantly or any discharge or wetness around the area or blocked nostrils, you should have your budgie checked by an avian vet. 6F) MOLTING Molting occurs at least once a year and is a normal process whereby a budgie’s feathers are shed and replaced with new ones. A molt lasts a couple of months - if it was to be sudden and all feathers lost at once, a budgie would not be able to fly or keep warm, and in the wild would not survive. Around three months of age a budgie goes through its first molt. You will notice a few changes: - loose feathers on the cage floor - a quieter and perhaps bad tempered budgie - spiky regrowths appearing as the new feathers come through - lots of pulling and preening of the feathers, especially tail feathers, until the new ones are

through - an itchy budgie that may call on you for a head scratch while molting Molting is physically demanding on a bird, so special attention to diet is required during a molt. Continue with a good quality seed or pellet mix and fresh fruit and vegetables, but increased supplies of spray millet, calcium and protein should be provided. Have available plenty of cuttlebone, calcium, iodine and mineral blocks, and good sources of protein, such as hard-boiled egg, cooked pasta, peas, wholemeal bread, broccoli, cooked potato, spinach, sweetcorn, nectarine. Older budgies can experience difficulty when molting due to the extra strain put on them at this time. Ensure you monitor them closely, let them rest and keep warm. Special molting seed tonics can be bought from your pet store - these are fine to use and definitely worthwhile with older birds. Bathing is especially important while molting so try to spray your budgie more frequently at this time. (Refer to 5C for further information on bathing). It is quite common for pet budgies to molt during any season especially when the home temperature is constant throughout the year. They can molt up to three times a year although more than likely this involves a soft molt where quite a few feathers are lost but not the tail or flight feathers. 6G) SHREDDING CAGE FLOOR LINER Female budgies often ‘attack’ their cage floor lining and shred it into little pieces. This is part of their normal nesting behavior and in the absence of a nest box is their attempt at building a nest. If your budgie does shred her cage floor liner you should try to stop her as the nesting behavior can lead to egg laying which will deplete her resources. (Refer to 6H and 7I for further information on egg laying and egg binding). To prevent this try giving your budgie a different floor lining to the one she is used to - newspaper, paper towels, hay. Be careful if you do try a hay base as this does hide your budgie’s droppings, and you should be monitoring these daily for any changes as an indicator of illness. (Refer to 3D and 7B for information on cage floor liners and monitoring droppings).


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6H) CONSTANT EGG LAYING Yes, a female budgie can, and does, lay eggs without the presence of a male budgie. These eggs are infertile. This egg laying is a fairly common problem with singly kept female budgies. Constant laying drains their resources and can lead to egg binding problems and become life threatening. If your budgie starts laying eggs use the following guidelines: - Do not take the eggs away as she lays them or she will continue to lay more and more,

consuming all of her energy as she does so. - Allow her to sit on the eggs for as long as she wants. She should give up on them when

she doesn’t get the required results and this nesting time will hopefully have helped to break her laying cycle. Once she has stopped sitting you can remove the eggs.

- Offer an increased supply of calcium and protein in her diet during this period. Have

plenty of cuttlebone, calcium blocks and mineral blocks available. These are essential for replacing the calcium lost while producing the eggs. Good sources of protein include hard-boiled egg, cooked pasta, peas, wholemeal bread, broccoli, cooked potato, spinach, sweetcorn, nectarine.

- Restrict any petting to her head only. You must try to break the laying cycle: - Alter the environment by shifting the cage to a new area in your house. - Limit daylight hours by putting your budgie to bed earlier and letting her sleep later in the

morning (try a 10-hour day). - Change the cage interior by moving things around, eg dishes, perches and toys - even

buy some new toys for her. - Remove any mirrors from her cage, as she will think she sees a mate in the mirror; also

any toys she appears to like sexually. - Keep her away from any confined areas such as a drawer, cupboard or shoebox. - Change the cage floor lining, so if you use newspaper change to paper towels, etc.

(Refer to 3D for information on different cage floor liners). Because of these changes your budgie should get the impression her cage is not a safe nesting area anymore, and that the perceived breeding season has ended. Some of the aforementioned suggestions may seem harsh, eg removing a mirror your budgie is attached to. Remember though, you are trying to prevent your budgie from constantly laying eggs - if you don’t, the situation can easily become life threatening. 6I) EATING ITS OWN DROPPINGS Birds eat their own droppings when: - lacking something in their diet, especially vitamins - feeding their young as a way to immunize them against disease


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6J) REGURGITATION A budgie regurgitating food often frightens its owner as they think their bird is vomiting. Regurgitation comes from the crop whereas vomiting is from the stomach. (Note, the crop lies below the neck and is a bird’s food storage area). Budgies naturally regurgitate food as part of the breeding process - it’s used during courtship and for feeding the young. Singly kept budgies occasionally regurgitate food over their feet or one of their favorite toys. They will do this on their mirror for example, thinking they’re feeding a mate. Or, they can regurgitate over you, their owner. As much you will dislike this, it is a sign of affection with your budgie considering you to be its mate. Regurgitating is fairly common behavior in budgies so you don’t need to worry about the regurgitation unless it starts happening on a regular basis, in which case it can lead to weight loss. It is also cause for concern if the regurgitation occurs for no obvious reason, ie in the absence of a favorite toy, mirror or you. Generally though, as long as your budgie appears healthy in all other areas you can consider the regurgitation as part of its normal behavior and not an illness. 6K) FEATHER PICKING If you notice your budgie constantly picking away at its feathers you will need to consider the following: - bathing - molting - external parasites such as mites or lice - internal parasites such as worms - feather picking Occasionally a budgie will suffer from feather picking. This is where they unduly chew at their feathers or skin, pulling the feathers out and leaving bald patches or bloody areas. It is also referred to as feather plucking or feather pulling. Unfortunately feather picking easily becomes a habit and is a hard one to break. It can be compared if you like to humans constantly biting at their fingernails. Feather picking is an extremely difficult problem to solve and there is much debate among bird experts as to the actual cause of the picking. Some possible reasons are: - behavioral problems - boredom, fear, loneliness, nervousness, stress - sexual frustration - lack of exercise - budgies must have regular time out of their cage for flying, walking,

running (refer to 5D for further information on exercise) - feather cysts or infection in the feather follicles - insufficient diet - budgies must have a good quality seed or pellet mix, fresh fruit and

vegetables daily, calcium and vitamin supplements (refer to section 4 for further information on diet)

- not enough sleep at night - they must have an undisturbed night’s rest - lack of bathing - spray your budgie at least once a week with warm water (refer to 5C for

further information on bathing) - lack of calcium - calcium helps with feather growth so cuttlebone or supplements must be

provided - allergies, microbial infection, external or internal parasites (refer to section 7 for further

information)


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Determining the actual cause of your budgie’s feather picking is challenging. You and your avian vet will need to work together and play detective, eliminating each cause until you find the culprit. Tests may have to be done to see if there is an infection or internal problem, then the right solution has to be found for your budgie. You can buy sprays from pet stores that contain a bitter agent in them. These are used to spray on your budgie in the hope that they prevent picking and chewing. Note, these sprays are only good as a temporary measure while you try to establish the causal factor of the feather picking problem.


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7) MEDICAL 7A) HOW TO RECOGNIZE WHEN YOUR BUDGIE IS SICK In the wild if budgies show they are unwell they will become the victims of predators. Therefore it is natural for budgies to conceal their illness as long as possible to avoid being attacked and killed. The same applies with pet budgies in that they do not show any signs of illness until they enter an advanced stage of that illness. If your budgie ever looks ill, it normally means your bird is really sick and can deteriorate extremely quickly. By observing your budgie daily you will learn its normal behavior and anything out of the ordinary should draw your attention. Unfortunately it is difficult to detect the particular illness a budgie may have as many of the ailments carry similar symptoms. When you notice any of the following signs of illness you should take your budgie to an avian vet as soon as possible - try to visit a vet experienced with birds so that correct diagnosis can be given. Signs of illness to watch out for: - abnormal breathing - abnormal droppings (note the quantity, color, consistency) - abnormal feathers, feather growth, or molt - abnormal sleep pattern:

continuous both feet on the perch when normally one foot is tucked up head tucked under the wing head turned towards the wing with eyes only partly closed

- any change in normal activities: talking or chirping playing with toys preening interaction with other birds interaction with humans energy levels different perching area

- black spiky head feathers (except during molting) - bleeding - discharge from the beak, eyes or nostrils - disorientation - drinking a lot more water than usual - drooping head, tail or wings - dull or swollen eyes - excessive feather picking or plucking - face and head feathers coated with mucus and semi-digested seed - falling off the perch - fluffed up appearance - hunched over posture - loss of appetite - lumps or swellings on the body - sitting on the bottom of the cage - soiled vent - tail constantly moving up and down - untidy appearance - vomiting - weight loss


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7B) MONITORING DROPPINGS One of the most important things to watch out for every day in the life of your budgie is the droppings. You must monitor these on a daily basis. There are three parts to your budgie’s droppings: 1) Urine - the watery portion 2) Urates - the cream or white powdery looking part 3) Feces - the dark colored coiled part, representing food waste from the digestive tract Become familiar with your budgie’s normal droppings: the size, color, consistency, odor and how many your bird does in a given period. Any change in the droppings can indicate a sign of illness and is often the first clue that all may not be well with your budgie. Note that your budgie’s droppings will be looser when eating a lot of fruit and vegetables or when stressed. The color of the feces can change depending on your budgie’s diet at the time and you will learn to familiarize yourself with this, eg an intake of strawberries or blueberries, a seed diet versus a pelleted diet. Any change in your budgie’s droppings that you cannot account for should give reason for concern and you may be best to have your bird checked by an avian veterinarian. 7C) LICE AND MITES External parasites in the form of lice or mites can attack your budgie. Your budgie may be showing signs of constant picking at its feathers or skin, poor feather condition, restlessness at night, weight loss, insomnia, anemia. Lice: Live on your budgie and lay their eggs onto the feathers. To look for lice hold your budgie up to a good light source and check the underside of its wings and tail feathers. If present, the lice and eggs will show as dark clusters attached to parts of the feathers. Feather mites: Live on your budgie and there are a number of different types. If you examine your budgie’s plumage you may be able to see the tiny mites moving if the infestation is heavy. Red mites: These do not live on your budgie. In the day they stay in any dark place they can find - wood areas, perches, nest boxes, the bottom of the cage. The mites come out at night to suck blood from the budgie. They are microscopic in size and therefore impossible to see with the naked eye. Their usual gray/brown color turns red at night after feeding. If you think your budgie may be suffering from red mites place some white fabric over the cage at night. In the morning if you see brown or red specks on the cloth you have a red mite problem. Alternatively, you can shine a flashlight on the cage at night and look for red spots on your budgie or in the vicinity - the cloth is preferable as the flashlight may scare your bird. Treatment for lice and mites: Purchase a special powder or spray from your pet store or avian vet to apply to your budgie. Follow the instructions carefully, especially with the spray. I actually prefer to use a powder for my birds, which you sprinkle on and rub throughout the wings and body. In the case of red mites, with them not actually living on your budgie, special attention must be given to the thorough cleaning and disinfecting of your budgie’s living quarters and anywhere else you think the mite may have been. Everything must be cleaned from top to bottom. If it cannot, throw it away, eg nesting material.


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7D) SCALY FACE A budgie with any crustiness on or around the beak is most likely to be showing signs of what is commonly called “scaly face”. A tiny mite causes this condition by tunneling its way into a budgie’s unfeathered areas, starting normally with the beak but spreading to the cere, eyelids, legs and feet. Scaly face starts out as gray/white threads on the beak but develops into awful crusty lesions which spread over the face. The beak can become deformed and another thing to watch out for is the spread to the feet - especially under the foot band if a budgie has been ringed. Scaly face is contagious so a budgie carrying this should be isolated from other birds. The cage or aviary should be thoroughly cleaned and all perches replaced. If scaly face is caught at an early stage treatment is effective fairly quickly. You can apply paraffin oil, baby oil, vaseline or the antiseptic/disinfectant called ‘Dettol’. Use a q-tip or cotton bud for application to the infected areas twice daily for one week, then once on alternate days for another two weeks. In severe cases you are best to obtain an acaricide (a chemical for killing mites) from your avian vet, pet supplier, or even through the internet. It’s a good idea before applying Dettol or an acaricide to soften the scaly areas with one of the aforementioned oils first. Be careful when applying any treatment not to let the budgie taste or inhale it. Note that when a female budgie is in breeding condition her cere may appear to be crusty -this is not to be confused with scaly face. 7E) WORMS Budgies are vulnerable to worm-like internal parasites, with the most common being roundworm. Aviary budgies are a lot more susceptible to worms than budgies housed indoors all the time. This is due to wild birds perching on aviaries and their infected droppings landing on the aviary floor. The floor harbors the parasite eggs and the aviary budgies come into contact with these when they graze on the floor. Be aware that indoor pet budgies can still be infested with worms. If you hang your budgie cage outside at all, wild birds will occasionally sit on top of the cage, with possible contamination from their droppings. Your budgie may have contracted worms from the aviary or pet store you obtained the bird from. And, be careful when you introduce a new budgie to your existing budgie as it may be a carrier of such disease. Types of worms Roundworm: Live in the intestine of a budgie. They are white and are normally 1 inch to 1½ inches long (3 cm to 4 cm), although they can be up to 4 inches (10 cm). Roundworm are easily spotted if passed in your budgie’s droppings. Being a parasite, roundworm live and eat off their host, ie your budgie! Out in the air and away from the host they die and shrivel to a pink color. Roundworm eggs are passed in a bird’s droppings, then passed from bird to bird as they come into contact with these infected droppings.


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Signs of Roundworm: The bird eats a lot but loses weight due to the roundworm absorbing all the available nutrients. It has slightly ruffled feathers and poor feather condition, picking or scratching at the stomach area, disinterested in its surroundings, messy vent, diarrhea or straining to pass droppings if infested heavily (a severe blockage can lead to death), or poor development in young budgies. Threadworm: Fine and threadlike living in the esophagus, crop or intestine. There are many types ranging in length from ¼ inch to 2½ inches (1 cm to 6 cm). Threadworm are also known as Hairworm. Threadworm eggs are passed in a bird’s droppings, then passed from bird to bird as they come into contact with these infected droppings. Signs of Threadworm: Loss of appetite, weight loss, anemia, disinterested in its surroundings, vomiting, diarrhea with blood in it, death. Tapeworm: Affix to the wall of the intestine and vary in type and length, ranging from less than ¼ inch to 12 inches (1 cm to 30 cm). Tapeworm eggs are passed in a bird’s droppings, then eaten by small insects such as snails and beetles. Birds then eat the insects. For this reason, tapeworm are more commonly found in insect eating birds, rather than seedeaters. Signs of Tapeworm: Loss of appetite, weight loss, anemia, droppings contain mucus or bits of tapeworm. Treatment for worms Each worm type requires different treatment, with diagnosis normally given by an avian veterinarian. Tapeworm are difficult to detect, even by a vet. Treatment is generally by eradication of the insects carrying the eggs, so use of an insecticide in and around the aviary. As roundworm are the most commonly found parasite in budgies, bird worming products for this are readily available at pet suppliers or via the internet. It normally comes as a water-soluble treatment, where you dissolve the medication in your budgie’s drinking water. It is generally not as effective as you have to rely on your budgie’s intake of the medicated water, and without watching your bird for 24 hours you cannot be sure of this. (Refer to 7P for further information on in-water medication). The best way to worm your budgie is to have an avian vet or a bird specialty shop give a direct dose of medication into the bird’s crop by using a ‘‘gavage needle”. If you do suspect your budgie has worms, ask for a laxative to be added to the worming treatment. The laxative will help your budgie pass the worms more easily; without it, dislodging a heavy infestation may cause intestinal blockage. Protection from worms Hygiene is the key. You must maintain a strict cleaning regime, with regular and thorough cleaning. Aviary birds should be treated for worms on a regular basis. An aviary with a natural environment - greenery and dirt floors - is prone to a build up of parasites, so requires more attention to cleanliness and regular worming of the birds. Keep seed and water dishes free of droppings - do not place them under perching areas. Also, be sure to have newly acquired birds treated for worms before you introduce them to your existing birds.


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7F) BACTERIAL INFECTIONS Harmful bacteria are around us everywhere and your budgie is susceptible to infection from a large number of bacteria. Your budgie can have such an infection for years without showing any signs of illness. Symptoms are varied but can include: - weight loss - general loss of condition - diarrhea - blocked nostrils - sneezing - conjunctivitis - loss of feathers around one or both eyes - listlessness - sudden death You can help prevent your budgie from bacterial infection by taking note of the following: - a strict cleaning program (refer to 3G for information on cleaning) - always wash your hands before preparing food for your budgie - thoroughly wash all fruit and vegetable offerings - do not leave fresh food sitting for too long and remove any uneaten offerings at the end of

each day - at the latest - if you give your budgie tap water, let the water run through the faucet or tap for a while

before filling up the water container - if you put vitamins in your budgie’s water do not leave this mix sitting for too long - do not place food and water containers below your budgie’s perching areas - do not kiss your budgie or stick your tongue out for it to taste If your bird has a bacterial infection an avian vet would need to perform laboratory tests in order to prescribe the best antibiotic for your budgie. 7G) RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS Respiratory problems are fairly common in birds and can affect the upper or lower air passages. The upper area includes the nose, windpipe and sinuses. Symptoms of problems here are: - frequent sneezing - abnormal breathing - through the mouth, gasping, clicking noises - nostrils blocked or showing a discharge - swollen eye area The lower area includes the air sacs and lungs. Symptoms of problems here are: - abnormal breathing - rapid and through the mouth, gasping, clicking noises - pumping the tail up and down - not as vocal - reduced or lost whistling - weight loss Before you have your budgie checked by an avian vet consider the following: - Has anything changed in your home environment to coincide with your bird’s respiratory

problems? People smoking, fumes (from air fresheners, flowers, perfume), dust, central heating, dry atmosphere?


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- Obesity - how much does your budgie weigh? (Refer to 5A for further information). - Are fresh fruit and vegetables part of the bird’s diet? You should be especially providing

ones with good sources of Vitamin A as Vitamin A deficiency can cause respiratory problems. Try broccoli, carrot, corn, frozen mixed vegetables, spinach, melon and mango.

- Do you bathe your bird regularly? At least twice a week? If you can dismiss all of the above as being reasons for your budgie’s respiratory problems then arrange for your bird to be checked by an avian vet. Respiratory infections are best treated with an antibiotic injection although correct diagnosis and treatment can be difficult, so do ensure you visit a vet experienced with birds. 7H) CONSTIPATION Occasionally budgies may have difficulty passing their droppings. This can be due to the following: - incorrect diet - lack of exercise - obesity - obstruction of some foreign matter - eating too much grit - parasites - has the budgie been wormed? One of my cockatiels was constipated on and

off for a month; it turned out he was heavily infested with worms. After treatment 32 worms were passed!

- a tumor - in an older budgie muscle tone may be lacking - a build up of droppings with matted feathers around the vent area - egg binding in a female budgie (refer to 7I for further information) When a budgie does have trouble passing its droppings you can try: - cleaning the vent if it is matted (use a soft toothbrush to gently brush away the build up of

droppings - you may also need to apply some warm water) - lettuce (this does act as a laxative) - paraffin oil (one or two drops given orally) - a pinch of epsom salts or a small amount of sucrose added to the drinking water The above though will only provide temporary assistance. You or your avian vet will need to identify the actual cause of the problem, eg lack of exercise so more free time out of the cage required. 7I) EGG BINDING When a female budgie is unable to lay one of her eggs she is said to be “egg bound”. This condition can be life threatening so prompt action is necessary. Your budgie will be sitting on the bottom of the cage or aviary floor and her suffering will be obvious to you. She will appear fluffed up and totally fatigued, with a swollen vent area and signs of straining. Normal treatment for egg binding, if detected straight away, is lubrication and warmth (steam and heat).


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So if your budgie is fairly tame and you notice the condition early on you can try the following: - prepare boiling water - place a few drops of oil (mineral or paraffin or olive oil) onto the vent using an eye-

dropper if you have one - if you do not have any oil available you can try rubbing some vaseline around the area - pour the boiled water into a bowl and gently hold your budgie’s vent area over the steam

for a few minutes - be careful not to burn her feet - put her by herself in a cage or box in a draft-free, quiet area, with a heat supply - heater,

heat pad, heat lamp, electric blanket, hot water bottle, plastic milk bottle or drink bottle filled with hot water

- walk away and leave her alone and quiet for an hour or two before checking to see if the egg has passed or not

If, after trying the above, the egg has not been laid contact your avian vet urgently. Do not undertake to remove the egg yourself. If you have any doubts about administering treatment to your budgie yourself, especially if she is not very tame, take her to an avian vet as soon as possible. An eggbound budgie will be extremely stressed and any action on your part will stress her more so you may prefer to let an expert handle her from the beginning. The vet will apply lubrication and try to move the egg, or may have to drain and break the egg. In some cases a calcium injection will be given or surgery may have to be performed. Obviously any budgie prone to egg binding should be discouraged from egg laying or not used for breeding any more. (Refer to 6H for further information). Some of the causes of egg binding include obesity, lack of calcium in the diet, little exercise, cool temperatures, infection and overbreeding. 7J) OBESITY AND FATTY TUMORS Budgies are prone to obesity, mainly due to a seed-only diet and lack of exercise. Your budgie, if offered a normal budgie seed mix, will pick its way through the mix choosing the seeds it particularly likes - usually the fattening ones such as hulled oats. Your bird may also have its wings clipped so it has no opportunity for its best form of exercise - flight. The combination can be lethal and leads to many health problems. It is not uncommon for a budgie to develop fatty tumors, normally around its lower abdomen and rump area. Your bird’s feathers may start to protrude in a fatty area and on close inspection you will see or feel the fatty deposit. The skin on the area appears a yellowish color and feels soft and squashy. You should take your budgie to an avian vet as soon as you discover such a lump. Surgery may be required. Fatty tumors will occur again unless you rectify the underlying causes. Diet is the main area you will need to concentrate on, and get into the habit of weighing your budgie regularly so that you can monitor its weight. Also ensure your bird has time out of its cage daily for some form of exercise. (Refer to section 4 for diet information, 5A for weight information and 5D for exercise information).


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7K) LIMPING If you notice your budgie limping or holding the same foot up all the time (apart from when your bird is sleeping) you may need to consult an avian vet. Lameness in a foot can be quite serious and some of the causes are: - catching the foot in the cage or on something when out of the cage - perching on the wrong sized perch for some time - if banded, the band may be too tight on the foot - gout - kidney infection or tumor Kidney problems are fairly common in budgies so if your budgie starts limping, yet you have not noticed your bird getting its foot caught and you can eliminate the perching and banding causes, take your budgie to a vet experienced with birds as soon as possible. 7L) BLEEDING Birds do not have a lot of blood, approximately half a teaspoon for a budgie. Because of this they have a very effective blood clotting system. A bleeding bird should be kept extremely still and quiet to enable the blood to clot. Movement will result in further bleeding. Applying pressure to the bleeding area with your finger or a q-tip or cotton bud will help to control the bleeding but if your budgie and you are fairly stressed with the situation you may be best to leave your bird alone and allow the blood to naturally clot. You can use styptic powder or a styptic pencil on a bleeding beak or nail. If in an emergency these are not available you can use ordinary baking flour to stop the bleeding. In the case of a bleeding blood feather or skin injury apply some baking flour - not styptic powder. If the blood feather continues to bleed you will need to remove this by gripping the feather shaft as close to your budgie’s skin as possible. Pull the shaft out firmly and quickly. Monitor your budgie closely once any bleeding has stopped and check for normal behavior patterns. If you have any reason for concern you should contact your avian vet as soon as possible and run the situation by them. Note that if a puncture wound has caused the bleeding you should arrange a visit to your avian vet urgently. Your budgie may have internal damage, bruising, microbial infection or slow hemorrhaging. 7M) FEATHERS COVERED IN COOKING OIL If your budgie ever gets covered in some form of oil, usually when out flying and landing in a pan of cooking oil, your concerns are: - not to let it preen itself and ingest the oil - keeping it warm as it will be lacking insulation - offering plenty of drinking water You will need to wash your budgie’s feathers with some form of diluted dishwashing liquid, or even a mild soap, with hot water. Have the water as hot as your hands can handle. Either spray with a high-pressure shower nozzle, or use a soft toothbrush or shaving brush soaked in the washing water and repeatedly apply to the feathers. You must ensure that no trace of the dishwashing liquid remains on your bird so rinse thoroughly.


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Your budgie must be dried off afterwards to prevent getting a chill. Use a small towel to gently dry the feathers then use one or more of the following: - heat pad, heat lamp, electric blanket - warm towels - heat the towels in the microwave for one minute - hair dryer on a slow low heat (this is noisy and may stress your bird more) - heater near the cage - hot water closet If the above steps seem too stressful for you and your bird, or you are unable to remove all traces of the oil, seek the assistance of your avian vet - a lot depends on how stressed your bird becomes with handling and washing. Note that if your budgie lands in hot oil and suffers burns you will need to gently apply cold water and ice to the burn while keeping the rest of your bird warm. Do not apply anything else and contact your avian vet immediately. 7N) WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BUDGIE IS SICK If your budgie is showing signs of illness it normally means your bird is really sick and can deteriorate extremely quickly so you should take your budgie to an avian vet as soon as possible. Try to visit a vet experienced with birds so that a correct diagnosis can be given. In the meantime you must take the necessary action to ensure your budgie is kept as comfortable as possible. A budgie’s regular body temperature is 104?F to 108?F (40?C to 42?C). When a budgie is sick its body temperature lowers considerably. This is one of your main concerns, as well as dehydration. If you keep more than one bird, isolate the sick budgie straight away. If you do not have another cage, it is fine to house the sick budgie in a cardboard box with some holes punched in it for air. If your budgie is unable to perch make a comfortable cage base for the bird. Use a tea towel, or a handful of tissues or paper towels. (If your budgie is in a box line it this way as well). You will need to put the seed and water dishes on the bottom of the cage, or box, in easy reach of your bird. Be careful with the water - you don’t want this spilling out. Lay some spray millet there and add a little glucose, sugar or honey to the water. Also, have a small dish of hulled oats available. Place the cage or box in a draft-free, quiet environment - preferably in a closed off room, not in the middle of your living room where there is constant traffic. Cover the back and sides of the cage with a warm blanket, towels or wool jumpers. Leave an open area where the budgie can see out. As well as this, you will need to provide your budgie with extra warmth so that a cage temperature of around 77?F to 86?F (25?C to 30?C) is maintained. Choose one of the following options: - heater - heat pad - heat lamp - electric blanket - airing cupboard or hot water closet - hot water bottle - plastic milk bottle or drink bottle filled with hot water If you place your budgie in an airing cupboard or hot water closet try to leave the door open so that some light gets in, otherwise the darkness will make your budgie think it’s night-time and the bird won’t eat or drink anything.


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Using a hot water bottle or plastic drink bottle will require you to refill them when the water has cooled. Unfortunately this means disturbing your budgie, so one of the other heating methods is preferred. Now, with all the warmth you do have to be careful your budgie doesn’t become dehydrated. Provide some humidity by placing a small dish of water in the cage or box - this must be covered to avoid spillage or your budgie sitting in it. Alternatively use a dish with a wet sponge in it, or you can place a bigger container of water outside but near to the cage or box. Monitor the temperature and watch your budgie closely for signs of overheating or not warming up. If a budgie pants and has the wings out from its sides the bird is too hot, if it continues in a huddled fluffed up position the bird is not warm enough. 7O) IF YOU NEED TO VISIT A VET There will come a time when your budgie shows signs of illness and you will need to get the budgie to a vet as soon as possible. Remember a bird can rapidly decline when it looks sick so contact your vet immediately. (Refer to 7A for further information). Where possible try to take your budgie to an avian vet - a vet experienced with birds. Some tips to help make your visit to the vet go as smoothly as possible: - Take your budgie to the vet in its regular cage - provided the cage is not too large for your

means of transport. - Remove or secure anything in the cage that’s likely to move around while in transit - toys,

swings, mirrors. - Empty the water dish to a low level to avoid spillage during the journey. Leave a little bit

in there in case your budgie wants some - unlikely but just in case. - Never clean the cage just before you go to the vet. Too many people make the mistake

of doing this, wanting to impress the vet with a nice clean cage! The vet needs to inspect the living quarters and especially wants to look at your budgie’s droppings. These can tell your vet so much, and will often be used in tests. Even place a paper towel or tissue on the cage floor under where your budgie is perching to capture fresh droppings while you make your way to the vet.

- Leave the seed or pellets and any other food dishes in the cage so the vet can check

what your budgie’s been eating. - A cover around the back of your budgie’s cage tends to keep the bird calmer throughout

the journey. It also provides some warmth. Do not fully cover the cage, leave an open area where your budgie can see out.

- If traveling by car don’t have the air-conditioning (hot or cold) blowing out on your budgie. - If it’s not possible to visit with your budgie in its cage refer to 5N for alternative ways of

transporting your budgie to the vet. Depending on the state of your budgie’s health, the vet after performing a physical examination may have to run further tests - droppings analysis, blood tests, microbiological tests for bacterial or fungal infection, and x-rays. Do not be afraid to ask your vet any questions so that you come away with a clear understanding from your visit.


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7P) IN-WATER MEDICATION The problem with in-water medication - medication that you put in your budgie’s drinking water - is that you cannot tell if your budgie is drinking the solution unless you watch your bird 24 hours a day. It requires perseverance in the hope that your budgie does get thirsty enough to drink it, and the bird may over or under dose depending on the amount of water drunk. Some tips to assist you: - remove your budgie’s normal water dish the night prior to dosing - hopefully you’ll have a

thirsty bird in the morning - add a little honey, glucose or sugar to the water to make it more enticing - throughout the medication period don’t have fruit and vegetables available as the

moisture in these will result in your budgie requiring less water - mix a new batch each morning if more than one dose is required - never leave it to sit

longer than a day - do not place the medicated water in direct sunlight 7Q) ORAL MEDICATION If your budgie requires medication to be given orally - into the mouth with an eye-dropper or syringe - ensure you have everything prepared before you go through the stress of capturing your bird. Also, carefully note the directions for the required dosage. Catch and hold your budgie in the correct way. (Refer to 5H for further information). Holding your bird from behind, slant its head back a little. Have the dropper or syringe in your free hand and checking that the medicine is at the tip of the dropper place this near the left side of your budgie’s beak so that it points to the bird’s right side. (Because your bird is facing you its left side is on your right side and vice versa). Your budgie’s reaction should be to bite at the eye-dropper or syringe so take this opportunity to administer a drop into its mouth. To ensure your bird swallows you may need to slant its head back further. Be careful your budgie doesn’t click the liquid out or that you don’t give too much medication too quickly. This may cause your bird to choke with the medicine coming out its nostrils, or even worse, getting some in its windpipe. If your budgie doesn’t open its beak freely you may need to force the beak open from the side with your thumb and index finger before administering the liquid. Instead of forcing the medication down you can try to give a drop of the medicine from high up, as sometimes when a bird sees this coming it automatically opens up its beak. 7R) SUDDEN DEATH OF A BUDGIE Unfortunately budgies can die suddenly. Your budgie may appear perfectly healthy then without warning you have lost your feathered friend. Some reasons for sudden death are: - heart attack - an internal defect from birth - experiencing a fright - birds do scare very easily - poison: from food, eg avocado, chocolate; chemicals, eg oven cleaning solution, a teflon

frying pan heated to a certain temperature - a long-standing illness - remember a budgie does conceal an illness for as long as

possible, so it can die from, eg kidney disease or a tumor, before you have a chance to realize all is not well


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- "apoplexy" - where a healthy budgie unexpectedly falls to the bottom of the cage and dies after momentary fluttering. Apoplexy is a blood circulation problem and can be diet related - poor nutrition, vitamin deficiency, overeating.

If you’re not present when your budgie passes away, so that you have no clues as to why or how your bird died, you may wish to satisfy yourself by having an avian vet perform an autopsy on your budgie (or “necropsy” as it’s called in avian terms). This can be expensive but it is something you may want to consider at the time. I once had one of my cockatiels die unexpectedly and I regret to this day not having had tests done to find out what was wrong with him. 7S) COPING WITH THE LOSS OF YOUR BUDGIE Unfortunately the time will come when you have to lay your budgie to rest. Your budgie will hopefully lead a long and healthy life and die of old age, or you may have to go through the suffering of an illness with your pet and an earlier death than expected. Either way the grief and loss that you experience can be devastating. As a bird lover I find it hard to understand the attitude of so many people at the loss of someone’s pet budgie: “Oh, it’s just a budgie”, “You can buy another bird tomorrow”, “It’s not like you’ve lost a relative or something.” This of course does little to help you during the grieving process. These people’s comments cannot be further from the truth. We’re talking about your budgie - a companion that gave you unconditional love for 10 or 15 years, that you trained from a 3-month old chick, that flew around after you wherever you ventured in the house, that shared food from your dinner plate each night! The death of your budgie can affect you terribly. Everyone handles their grief differently and you may only take a few days to come to terms with your loss or you may take a few months. The time will come though when your anguish diminishes, to be replaced by fond memories and smiles and laughter at some of your feathered friend’s antics throughout the years. Here are some ways to help you cope with the loss of your budgie: - Take a photo of your budgie at rest - due to your hurting you probably won’t be able to

look at the developed photo for a while, but in time this photo can be comforting to some people.

- If you can bury your budgie in your garden, back yard, or at a family home, plant a special

tree or flower over the grave, or place a garden ornament or stone there. - Hold a small service when you bury your budgie. - Pull out all of the photos you have of your budgie - make up a new special photo album, a

scrapbook, a mural - the time it actually takes to do this helps with your grieving. - Choose your favorite photo, have it enlarged and buy a special frame for it. - Reminisce the good times. - Search the internet - there are quite a few websites that allow you to post memorials, or

offer pet loss chat rooms. Try www.petloss.com or www.aplb.org. - If you need someone to talk to, some veterinary schools provide pet loss counseling, or

you may wish to join a bird club where you can talk among fellow bird enthusiasts. - Make a donation in your budgie’s name to a bird society or bird rescue center.


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If you have a friend whose pet bird dies, send them a sympathy card and add a few words of your own. Many veterinary practices do this and it is surprising the comfort that this gesture brings. Finally the time will come when you may decide to get yourself another bird. Once again this is personal and you may be able to cope with a new bird a few days after the death of your budgie, or it may be a year before you wish to obtain another bird. This addition will never replace your old budgie, it will be a new pet with a personality all of its own, a new feathered friend with whom you will hopefully spend the next 10 or more years of your life.


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8) BUDGIE MAINTENANCE 8A) WING CLIPPING Trimming a budgie’s wings is another debatable area among the bird world - to trim or not to trim, to trim both wings or one wing, or part of a wing. To trim or not to trim I prefer not to clip my budgies’ wings, but circumstances do allow this: no children in the household, just two adults experienced with bird ownership, no cats, and tame budgies with good flying ability and familiarity of the household. Some points you will need to consider: It is natural for a bird to fly: there is nothing quite like watching your budgie fly freely around your home, and if your budgie has a long flight path it is great to see the bird maneuver away. Your home environment: how responsible and mature are the people living in your house? Can they be relied on to leave doors and windows shut when your budgie is out flying? If there are only two responsible adults living in the house, versus a family with children, wing clipping may not be required. Escape: the main reason for trimming back your budgie’s wings. So many are lost through an open door or window and once they’re out in the big wide world it is more than likely that you will not see them again. (Refer to 5O for information on escaped budgies). Ease of handling: your budgie will be more controllable with its wings trimmed, and this may help you with the initial hand taming and training. (Refer to 2G for information on hand taming). Dangers around your home: open toilet bowls, cooking pans, ceiling fans. (Refer to 5J for a list of potential dangers). Obesity: lack of exercise can lead to an overweight budgie. (Refer to 5D and 5A for information on exercise and weight). One or two wings Clip both wings evenly. If only one wing is clipped your budgie is still prone to danger, getting the one wing caught, or landing in unplanned territory due to the curving flight path that one wing enables. Also avoid a “cosmetic trim” where both wings are clipped back but the outer two or three flight feathers are left untrimmed. This creates the impression of a fully winged bird and looks nicer, but a budgie soon adapts to this and still flies fairly strongly. How to trim Wing clipping can be fairly stressful, depending on yourself and your bird, and especially the first time round. I do recommend that you have an avian vet or a competent pet store employee undertake this task for you initially. Ask them to explain and show you exactly what they’re doing, then you can decide if you would feel comfortable or not doing this in the future. If you do choose to trim your budgie’s wings yourself, I would advise that you use the assistance of a second person, at least for the first couple of times. In preparation you will need a small towel, a small sharp pair of scissors and a quiet, well-lit environment. A small room with the door shut will also make things easier in case your budgie escapes your grip.


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Firstly, you need to catch and hold your budgie. Refer to section 5H for information on this. Have one person hold your budgie in the towel, holding gently but firmly with the bird’s head between the thumb and index finger and the remaining fingers and other hand firmly covering the wings and body. Check that the bird’s feet and toes are hidden away in the towel and that the budgie is not being smothered. Hold your budgie facing downwards. The second person needs to carefully stretch out the first wing to clip. Extend the wing fully and notice the 'primary' flight feathers - these are from the furthermost out, to ten feathers in (in toward the body). It is these feathers that you need to trim. Clip each wing evenly, straight across the primary flight feathers, cutting eight to ten of these feathers, working from the outer tip inwards to the body. As a guideline to how much to clip, you only cut as far as the 'primary coverts' - these are the smaller group of feathers lying above the primary feathers and show quite clearly on the underside when the wing is outstretched. Note you must not cut any blood feathers. These are new feathers growing in, still receiving a blood supply, and if clipped they will bleed. Blood feathers are obvious to the eye, appearing smaller with a dark, rather than clear, feather shaft. (Refer to 7L for information on bleeding). You are best to leave wing clipping until the molting process is complete. This avoids the possibility of clipping blood feathers and ensures a better trim. After the wing clipping monitor your budgie’s new level of mobility. Ideally your bird should be able to fly a short distance without gaining height and be capable of landing safely. If the bird lands with a thump each time, the clipping is too restrictive and at the next clipping you should not have as many feathers clipped back. You will learn with time the level of flight that suits you and your budgie, and so control this with each clipping - the number of flight feathers trimmed, how far back they’re trimmed, and how regularly. Budgies can usually fly well with only a few primary flight feathers intact, so once new feathers start to grow back you will have to be more aware when your budgie is out flying, and perhaps consider another trim. Some people fear that their budgie will hold a grudge against them if they clip back their wings. This isn’t the case. They tend to have a grudge against the towel that's held them rather than the person who's done the actual clipping. When you unwrap your budgie from the towel just coax the bird and tell the bird how good it’s been, and practically within two minutes your budgie will have forgotten it all and be back on your hand and happy enough. Just be sure not to let your budgie ever see the scissors.


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8B) NAIL CLIPPING Occasionally you may need to trim your budgie’s toenails. A good indicator of when they need trimming back is when the budgie’s toenails start catching on your clothes or on the carpet when your bird is out roaming around. Trimming your budgie’s nails can be a little stressful, although much depends on yourself and the personality and tameness of your bird. Some will simply let you pick up their foot and file at the nail or clip it. For others it is an unpleasant experience. It really requires two people to do a quick painless job. You can trim the nails with standard nail clippers. Only the tips need to be taken off. Do not cut down to the blood vessels - you will see these clearly in the middle of the toenails. It would be like cutting down to the quick with human fingernails, so stay well clear of the blood vessels. If bleeding does occur use styptic powder or some ordinary baking flour to stop the bleeding. (Refer to 7L for information on bleeding). I cannot stress enough to just take off the tips - you do not need to cut off a large amount. Do this in a quiet, well-lit environment. A small room with the door shut will also make things easier in case your bird flutters away from you at any stage. Have one person hold your budgie wrapped in a small towel, holding gently but firmly with the bird’s head between the thumb and index finger and the remaining fingers and other hand firmly covering the wings and body. Make sure the budgie is not being smothered and have the bird lying on its back. The second person needs to extend the budgie’s foot and begin the nail clipping. If you have any doubts at all, you should seek the help of a local pet store or avian vet, especially the first time round so that you can see how it is done properly. 8C) BEAK TRIMMING An overgrown beak will result in your budgie being unable to eat its food. This can be a sign of an underlying problem so you are best to take your budgie to an avian vet for a check up before you have the beak trimmed. Never attempt to trim back your budgie’s beak yourself. Always let an expert do this for you.


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9) BREEDING 9A) CONSIDERING BREEDING Having your budgies go through the breeding process can be a wonderful experience -watching the affection between the pair, the eggs being laid and hatched, their parenting skills, and the resulting baby budgies. Yes, it’s great if things go smoothly, but often there can be problems along the way. Breeding is not something to be taken on lightly and you should consider the following points before deciding to breed from your budgies: - Are the female and male compatible and fairly responsive to each other? - Are they older than 12 months of age, in good health and not molting? In most budgie

color varieties, a female in breeding condition should have a dark brown and sometimes crusty cere, and a male’s blue cere becomes a bright blue.

- Is the cage a reasonable size for the adult budgies, the nest box, extra food containers

and 3 to 5 chicks when they eventually come out of the nest box? - Can the pair be kept in a fairly quiet, draft-free and warm environment while they try to

breed? Ideal breeding temperature should be constant at approximately 68?F or 20?C so it is normally best to wait for springtime, depending on the climate where you live.

- What will you do with the 3 to 5 budgie chicks once they’ve been reared successfully? - Do you have the time to hand feed the budgie chicks if complications arise? - Can you cope with the downsides of breeding? The death of a chick, an adult budgie

attacking and killing a chick, the female adult attacking and killing her partner. - Are you prepared for the vet fees if problems occur? 9B) BREEDING DIET A well-balanced breeding diet needs to be established long before mating begins so that your budgies become familiar with the diet and readily eat it. Introducing a new diet in the middle of a breeding program is too late, eg once the eggs have been laid. Your budgies will refuse food they are not accustomed to. Their diet should include: - a good-quality seed mix or breeding pellets - plenty of fresh clean drinking water - fresh fruit and vegetables - cuttlebone and other calcium supplements - mineral blocks - vitamin supplements - some form of softfood to help rear the chicks on - there are many types of softfood

available at pet stores - protein - good sources of protein include hard-boiled egg, cooked pasta, peas, wholemeal

bread, broccoli, cooked potato, spinach, sweetcorn, nectarine


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9C) YOUR ROLE DURING BREEDING It is hard to resist but you must try to give your budgies as much freedom as possible as they go through the breeding process. Too many interruptions on your part will easily result in unsuccessful breeding attempts. Much depends on the relationship you have with your budgies - how tame and how approachable they are. Understand however, that as parents their number one concern is their chicks and you may notice different behavioral patterns toward you during breeding time. Use the following guidelines as to the role you should play at this time: - Allow your budgies as much privacy as possible and observe from a distance. - Maintain a strict cleaning regime of their cage. - Try to provide an even room temperature for your budgies, approximately 68?F or 20?C. - Continue bathing your budgies in the way they are used to. This helps the female provide

sufficient moisture for the eggs. - Keep food and water supplies fresh and plentiful - the quantities will need to increase

greatly when the parents have chicks to feed. - Ensure nest box inspections are carried out with as little disturbance as possible to your

birds - quickly and efficiently. - Try to check the nest box when the female is out of the box. - If your budgies allow it, you can get into the habit of tapping quietly on the nest box

whenever you want to take a look inside. This enables them to become used to your intrusions and to know what to expect.

9D) SEXUAL MATURITY AND BREEDING AGE Budgies become sexually mature at 3 or 4 months of age but the ideal breeding age is 12 months. 9E) NEST BOXES Nest boxes suitable for budgie breeding are readily available at pet stores. They come in different styles so use the following guidelines to help you choose one. Approximate size: Across - 10 inches (25 cm), Wide - 6 inches (15 cm), High - 6 inches (15 cm). Material: Select a wooden nest box - not plastic. Plywood is a good choice. Check that the wood is untreated, ie no dyes or preservatives have been used on it. Entrance hole: Approximately 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. Here you need to consider easy access, security and drafts. Perch: Extending a few inches on the outside of the nest box beneath the entrance hole. This aids with access to the nest box and makes it easier for the male to feed the female. Removable wooden floor: A separate wooden piece with a concave or hollow in it. Do not buy a plastic concave. The eggs are laid in the concave, which prevents them from rolling around in the nest box.


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Tip: Place the concave area as far away as possible from the entrance hole to avoid damage to the eggs or chicks when the adult budgies use the entrance, especially in a disturbance. Inspection door: Usually in the form of a hinged door or a sliding panel. Some also come with perspex or glass behind the inspection door. This facility allows you to inspect the nest box with minimum disturbance to the female adult and chicks. Check that the door and especially the sliding panel opens easily - any difficulty with these will cause unnecessary upset to the budgies. Nest lining: Budgies do not require any nesting material as such, but you can provide them with a lining of untreated or sterilized wood shavings or sawdust. Do not be surprised if this is thrown out of the nest box. Positioning: Either inside or outside the cage. If inside the cage, the nest box can be placed on the floor, slightly raised off the floor, on a perch, or high up in a corner. When hanging the nest box outside the cage the entrance hole of this box must be accessible to the cage. If you have a second door or in-built seed container holes you can use these for placement. Otherwise you may need to cut a hole in your cage. Tip: If possible do not have the entrance hole facing direct light. Hygiene: Before offering a nest box to your budgies you must thoroughly clean the box. This applies to both brand new and previously used nest boxes. Ask your pet store for a bird-safe spray to clean it with, or you can just use boiling water. Ensure the box is dry before it is placed in your budgies’ cage. 9F) COURTING SIGNS If you decide to let nature take its course and allow your budgies to breed, watch out for the following courting signs: - allopreening, where they preen each other’s feathers - restlessness, strutting, nodding, dancing, running, flying - constant calling, chirping and gurgling at each other - beak tapping and banging against the cage bars, perches, toys or each other's beak - feeding each other - over-display of their plumage - the female sticking out her breast area, the male his head

and neck feathers - the male’s eyes tend to glass over, with the iris being more prominent than the pupil 9G) MATING When the female budgie is ready to mate she will position herself across the perch with her head straight up in the air and her tail lifted. The male takes his cue and climbs on top of the female’s back, balancing himself with one or both wings stretched around her and sometimes grasping some of the female’s feathers in his beak. The male then folds his tail under hers so that their vents meet. Note that your female budgie will not allow the male on her back for long if his toenails are overgrown, thereby digging in and hurting her. You may need to consider trimming back the nails. (Refer to 8B for information on nail trimming).


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9H) UNSUCCESSFUL BREEDING Budgies are generally fairly easy birds to breed from. Occasionally a pair of budgies will experience breeding difficulties. Some of the reasons for problems are: - loose perches preventing the correct contact during mating, or perches too smooth to

allow the required grip - long toenails or coarse feathers around the vent getting in the way of copulation - two same-sexed birds - one or both of the pair are too young or too old - ideal breeding age is 12 months, with

breeding generally until 6 years for males and 4 years for females - one or both birds are unhealthy, overweight, not in top physical condition or have

deficiencies in their diet - the conditions don’t feel right for the pair: lots of disturbances, the cage or nest box in the

wrong place, dislike of the particular nest box - lack of noise from other budgies to stimulate them into breeding - the female is physically unable to lay eggs, or has been overbred and is exhausted 9I) CLUTCH SIZE A clutch refers to the number of eggs laid by the female budgie. An average clutch size is 4 or 5, but can be up to 8 eggs. The eggs are normally laid on alternate days. 9J) SIGNS YOUR FEMALE BUDGIE IS ABOUT TO LAY EGGS Look for the following signs when a female budgie is about to lay her eggs: - she is spending a lot of time inside the nest box and you may hear her tapping her beak

against its walls preparing the box in readiness - the cuttlebone is gnawed away at more frequently - the area around her vent becomes noticeably larger - her droppings become a large, loose, wet deposit with a strong smell. This build up of

droppings enables her to stay in the nest box for much longer periods than if she had her normal dropping deposits every 10 minutes or so. In order to keep the nest box clean she will come out to pass her droppings.

9K) INCUBATION Incubation is the process whereby the female budgie sits on her eggs, warming and turning them, until they hatch. The incubation period for budgie eggs is normally 18 days. A hen may wait until two eggs have been laid before serious incubation begins. She usually incubates on her own, while the male budgie sits outside the nest box and offers her food. 9L) FERTILE OR INFERTILE EGGS If you want to check the eggs your budgie has laid to see if they are fertile or not you will need to “candle” them. Candling is where you hold the eggs up to a source of bright light such as a strong lightbulb, torch or penlight. Alternatively, purchase a commercially made candler. You can candle the eggs after 5 or 6 days of actual incubation. A fertile egg will show up the developing embryo as red veins around a tiny central point. It will be obvious there is some-thing inside the egg. On the other hand, an infertile egg will appear clear and transparent.


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Before candling any eggs ensure your hands have been thoroughly washed. The eggs are extremely fragile and can absorb bacteria easily. Handle the eggs with dry, warm hands. Warm your hands beforehand on a radiator or hot water bottle. For candling just hold each egg between your thumb and finger/s. Do not over-handle the eggs - it is best if you simply allow nature to take its course and leave the eggs alone. 9M) REASONS FOR EGGS NOT HATCHING There are lots of reasons for eggs not hatching. It is wise not to be too hasty in removing the eggs as sometimes budgie chicks can hatch out after their due date. Possible reasons for eggs failing to hatch: - infertile eggs due to a sterile male budgie - unhygienic conditions or soiled egg shells - neglect on the female’s part during incubation with the eggs becoming cold; due to

disturbances, an egg rolling to a corner in the nest box, too big a clutch for the female’s body to cover

- eggs being pierced or broken because of fighting in the nest, disturbances, thin shells, the female’s claws being too long - a tiny crack makes the egg more susceptible to bacterial infection

- the female holds her feathers too firmly against her body so no heat is transferred to the eggs

- incorrect temperatures and humidity - handling of the eggs carelessly or too often 9N) CLEANING THE NEST BOX It is best not to disrupt the ‘family’ with too much cleaning of the nest box. Use your judgment here. A lot will depend on how tame and approachable your budgies are, how many chicks are in the clutch, and the female’s housekeeping skills - most do not keep the nest box clean. Remember though to disturb them as little as possible so the parents can go about their natural upbringing of the chicks. If the nest area appears dry you can leave cleaning for one or two weeks, but if it is messy with wet droppings you will need to clean it earlier. Try to entice the female budgie out of the nest box, or when she is out on her own accord, block the nest box entrance off with a piece of cardboard, so you can have a free run at your cleaning. You must undertake the cleaning process as quickly as possible. With warm and dry hands carefully place the chicks into an icecream container, bowl or shoebox lined with paper towels or tissues. Ensure the chicks are kept warm while out of the nest box. You are best to dry scrape out the droppings in the nest box - do not wet the area. Replace any old nesting material with fresh bedding and dry scrape or change the concave. While the chicks are out take this opportunity to check for any food or droppings caked on them. Such deposits dry rock hard and can lead to deformities of the beak and feet. Gently remove any mess with a damp paper towel, tissue, q-tip or cotton bud.


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9O) BROODING Note: The information in sections 9O, 9P and 9Q is to be used as a guideline only. Hand rearing baby birds is very involved and entire books are written on the subject. If you do step in and remove one or more chicks from the parents you will need to consider the brooding process. A mother budgie broods, or keeps the chick warm, with her body heat, so you will need to set up a substitute brooder. You can place the chick into a small clean plastic container or basket, lined with a handful of tissues, and then put this into an area you will use as the brooder. Always handle the chick with dry and warm hands - warm your hands beforehand on a radiator or hot water bottle. Some people use an empty fish tank or old computer printer cabinet as a brooder, or even a box with a cloth covering. Whichever option you choose, just ensure the chick is able to breathe and that you create a warm and quiet environment without a lot of light. Try to keep the chick upright in its container with the head raised above the crop. Do this by building a nest of tissues around the chick. Set up a heat source for the brooder, eg a heat pad underneath and a heat lamp above. Do not have any light glaring at the chick and provide some form of humidity in the brooder, such as a dish with a wet sponge - don’t provide excess water in case it spills out into the brooder. The brooder needs to be maintained at different temperatures depending on the chick’s age. Use the following temperatures as a guideline: Day 1 - 97?F (36?C) Day 3 to Day 5 - Gradual drop to 95?F (35?C) By Day 14 - Gradual drop to 90?F (32?C) By Day 21 - Gradual drop to 85?F (29?C) By Day 28 - Gradual drop to 80?F (27?C) Fully feathered - 75?F (24?C) Watch the chick closely for signs of overheating. If the chick has its wings out from its sides and appears to pant you will need to reduce the brooder temperature. 9P) HAND FEEDING BUDGIE CHICKS Hand feeding baby budgies is not a project to be taken on lightly. It is time-consuming and best carried out by an experienced person. Some people believe hand rearing a baby budgie will result in a tamer and friendlier adult budgie. This is not the case, as young budgies are easy to tame up. Hand feeding them as chicks does not make them a better pet than a budgie hand tamed between 6 and 12 weeks of age. Only resort to hand feeding if you notice the parent budgies neglecting or hurting their young or if you feel a chick is lagging behind for some reason. You may only need to offer supplementary feeding, or if the situation requires, you may need to pull the chick from the nest and raise it fully. What to feed: You are best to purchase a commercially made hand feeding formula from your local pet store rather than make up a rearing mix of your own. These are readily available and most come with clear mixing instructions. Follow all of the directions carefully. If circumstances arise where you do not have a hand rearing formula and you unexpectedly need to intervene and pull a chick from its mother, give the chick a liquid mix of glucose and water. Alternatively use honey or sugar if you don’t have glucose. This will provide the chick with the moisture it requires and gives you a couple of hours to make arrangements for obtaining a hand feeding formula.


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The temperature of the formula you give to the budgie chick must be warm, not cold, or too hot so it burns the crop and kills the chick. It should be approximately 104?F or 40?C. Use a thermometer to confirm temperatures and never heat the formula in a microwave for fear of ‘hot spots’ due to the tendency of microwaves to heat unevenly. With formula preparation you should get into the habit of heating, stirring, waiting, stirring; then test the temperature with the thermometer. The hand feeding formula should be freshly prepared for each feeding. Never keep any mixed formula, as storage can lead to spoilage. How often: You need to feed a chick every few hours during the day - at approximately 2 to 3 hour intervals over a 12 to 18 hour period. The first feed should be around 7am with the last depending on how the actual chick is coping and the stage it is at - use your judgment here. Approximate guideline: The first few days of its life the chick may need feeding every 2 hours around the clock. At 3 to 5 days you may be able to leave it for 4 to 6 hours at night, at 2 weeks 5 feeds per day, at 3 weeks 4 feeds per day, 4 to 5 weeks 2 per day. Utensils and how to use them: To give the food, use an eye-dropper, teaspoon (shape the teaspoon into a funnel by bending up each side) or a syringe. An eye-dropper is normally best for a budgie under a week old, but older than that a teaspoon is preferable. An understanding of some of your bird’s anatomy is required before you undertake the hand feeding of a budgie chick. Food travels to its crop via the esophagus which is located on the right side of the bird’s neck. The opening to the esophagus is at the back of the bird’s mouth and to the right of its opening to the trachea or windpipe. If formula gets into the windpipe the budgie chick can suffocate and die. When feeding, the chick makes a pumping motion with its head and the entrance to the windpipe closes off so the chick cannot breathe in any food. When it stops pumping and needs to breathe, the windpipe is open. Therefore, you must use extreme caution to prevent formula being inhaled, and allow the chick time to swallow and breathe before offering it more food. You are best to feed the chick inside the brooder so that it keeps warm. If you bring the chick out to feed you must ensure it takes place in an area with heating provided. When handling the chick make sure your hands are dry and warm. Warm your hands beforehand on a radiator or hot water bottle. Feed the chick with its head and beak facing you. (This means the chick’s left side is on your right side and vice versa). Carefully support the chick’s head between your thumb and index finger, and raising the neck up slightly use your other hand and spoon or eye-dropper to gently touch its beak and tilt the formula onto its tongue. Offer tiny drops of the formula slowly to the chick. The chick should make a pumping action to be fed. Don’t forget to let the chick swallow and breathe in between each offering. Care must be taken if you use a syringe to feed the chick. Gently place the syringe into the left side of the bird’s mouth so that it points to the bird’s right side and toward the esophagus. Trickle the formula until you get a pumping motion from the chick and then squirt the syringe slowly and accordingly. How much to feed: To tell when a chick has had enough formula at feeding time you should look at its crop. The crop looks like a pouch under the neck and is a bird’s food storage area. It is expandable, appearing full and swollen once a chick has been fed. As the food passes to the stomach the crop sags.


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By monitoring the crop you can gauge when a chick has eaten enough or is ready for the next feeding. A full crop looks balloon-like and is a yellowy color as opposed to the chick’s pink body color. Do not overfeed. It is better to feed slightly under than to overfeed. If the crop appears full, stop feeding. It should still be able to expand a little bit, too tight is too much. On the other hand, do not allow the crop to become sunken and entirely empty. A loosening of the crop indicates it is emptying and more food is required. Another indicator of a hungry chick is when it begs or cries for food, although be aware that it will tend to do this more often than is actually necessary. Cleaning: If any food is left on the chick’s beak or face (or if it’s found its way to anywhere else on the body) ensure you wipe this off gently with a damp paper towel or tissue. Check also inside the beak and clean this out with a q-tip or cotton-bud. Food deposits dry rock hard and can lead to deformities of the beak and feet. The handfeeding utensils must be disinfected and thoroughly rinsed between each feeding. Replace the tissues lining the chick’s container after every feeding. 9Q) WEANING Normally a chick is weaned, ie fully independent and eating on its own, at 6 or 7 weeks of age. So up until 5 weeks continue your hand feeding schedule but at this time start offering water, spray millet and bits of fruit and vegetable. Leave a fresh selection of these in shallow containers on the cage floor for the chick to sample. Take note of when the chick starts nibbling at these offerings, as this indicates it is on its way to independence. You can then reduce your hand feeding and introduce the chick to a seed mix or pellets. If seeds, offer a mix containing a greater portion of canary seed than millet as it is easier for them to crack. Monitor the chick carefully throughout the weaning period to check it is eating sufficient amounts regularly. Unfortunately too many young budgies starve themselves because they go unobserved at this time.


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9R) CHICK DEVELOPMENT Day 1 - chick hatches out totally helpless and entirely reliant on its

mother - eyes closed, tiny crop capacity, featherless, pink-colored; weighing about 2 grams

Day 6 or 7 - eyes open By Day 10 - feathers appearing Day 16 or 17 - chick weighs 30 grams - this is the adult budgie’s weight Day 28 - tail feathers and wing feathers nearly fully-grown Day 28 to 35 - able to fly and leave the nest Day 40 - fully feathered Day 42 to 49 - eating independently Approx 3 months - first molt Approx 4 months - adult feathers, sexually mature Approx 1 year - breeding age 9S) BREEDING SUMMARY - mating takes place - the female starts showing a lot of interest in the nest box, investigating, coming and

going, preparing - the first egg is laid 10 to 14 days after mating - she continues to lay her eggs on alternate days with the average clutch size being 4 or 5,

but can be up to 8 eggs - incubation or sitting normally begins once the second egg has been laid - only the female

incubates the eggs - the male feeds the female while she stays in the nest box, only coming out to deposit her

droppings - the incubation period is normally 18 days, so each egg should hatch after it’s been

incubated for its 18 days - thereby the eggs hatch in the order they were laid - the male keeps feeding the female while she feeds regurgitated food to the budgie chicks - chicks leave the nest between 4 and 5 weeks of age - the adult male feeds them until they’re approximately 6 weeks of age, at which stage they

should be able to eat on their own - female adult may be busy laying or incubating another clutch of eggs

© 2002 Let’s Talk Birds

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Bird Diseases - An Introduction to the Study of Birds in Health and Disease L Arnall and I F Keymer 1975 by TFH Publications, Inc A Guide to Basic Health & Disease in Birds Dr Michael J Cannon 1996 Australian Birdkeeper

Budgie Book

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